Commercial motorcyclists operating at Gosa, along the Airport road, have attacked members of the FCT Joint Task Force, who carried out massive raid on okada operators in many parts of the nation’s capital on Thursday.
The okada operators, who in a twinkle of an eye, re-grouped to launch an attack on the team, comprising men from the DRTS, Police, Civil Defence, DSS and the military, were immediately repelled with shots of teargas canisters.
Our correspondent reports that over 470 motorcycles were impounded in an exercise that started from the popular car wash bus stop in Lugbe, combing through Gosa, Bill Clinton drive, Trademore estate, Lugbe junction as well as the Kubwa and its environs.
Addressing journalists before the seized motorcycles were crushed at Area 1 round about, the Secretary Transportation Secretariat, Nya Ubokutom, warned commercial motorcyclists to strictly limit their operations to the areas designated for them.
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He explained that the Administration’s desire to develop a smart city devoid of all sorts of pollution cannot be achieved if illegalities were allowed to pervade.
On his part, the Director, FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Abdulateef Bello, said apart from the city centre, commercial motorcyclists were not allowed to operate on any of the territory’s highways, noting that the administration is determined to rid the entire FCT roads of okada operators.
He further warned that one of the strategies to be deployed towards eliminating commercial motorcyclists from FCT roads is arresting passengers, who are patronising the business.
