Wike Crushes 478 Motorcycles, Warns Okada Passengers, Riders As Plans to Start Arresting Them is In Top Gear
By Aluta News
September 29, 2023
To ensure total eradication of the menace of commercial motorcycle (Okada) riders in Abuja, the FCT Administration is considering arresting both the okada riders and their passengers.
This is as the Administration has revealed its plans of deepening operations in ridding the city of the menace of commercial motorcycle riders.
Similarly, a joint taskforce Thursday crushed over 470 motorcycles impounded for operating along restricted areas in the Federal Capital City and other satellite towns.
Speaking with journalists after the crushing exercise, Director, FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Dr. Abdulateef Bello, encouraged residents to walk short distances for their safety and health.
He said: “For safety and security reasons, people should always make sure that they avoid plying motorcycles within the FCC because as the situation is, we might be arresting people that are equally plying motorcycles.”
On why the operation was extended to satellite towns including Kubwa, Bello explained: “We have consistently maintained that commercial motorcycles are not allowed in the Federal Capital City.
“But of course, apart from the city center, our highways are equally not encouraged for commercial motorcycles to ply, because of safety and security reasons and that is why we have extended our operations beyond the FCC to other Area Councils that actually feed the city center,” he remarked.
The Director equally advised those investing in commercial motorcycles business to have a rethink as the Administration will invest heavy resources to curtail them.
He said the FCTA will deepen its operation because, “the number of motorcycles operating the FCC is extremely outrageous. Impounding 200, 300, or 400 on a weekly bases will not address the need.”
“What we are doing now is to intensify our operations with other security agencies to enable us move deeper into this operations by working in the night and removing them based on intelligence on where they are, aside from just chasing them on the road,” he added.
Earlier, Secretary Transportation Secretariat, Nyah Ubokutom warned commercial motorcyclists to strictly limit their operations to the areas designated for them.
He explained that the Administration’s desire to develop a smart city devoid of all sorts of pollution could not be achieved if illegalities are allowed to pervade the Federal Capital City.
“We are here to carryout what has been adjudicated for and approved by the law. Our mandate is to deliver a smart city and we are poised to deliver on that mandate of making Abuja a smart city, clean in air quality and safe for habitation and transportation and also make it affordable, but we cannot allow residents take laws into their hands.
“There are areas designated for different kinds of vehicles. Motorcycles are designated to the outskirts in the Area Councils, so we encourage operators to respect that because if you cross that line the full wrath of the law will be visited on violated,” he stated.
A total of 478 motorcycles were crushed on Thursday, following a two weeks raid in areas across the FCT.