The Joint Task Force in the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Thursday impounded and crushed 639 commercial motorcycles for operating illegally in the capital city. This took the total number of commercial motorcycles impounded and crushed between August and December to 1,509.
A total of 400 motorcycles were impounded and crushed in August while 470 were crushed in September.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the motorcycles crushed on Thursday were impounded at strategic spots in the city centre. The areas include Airport road, Gudu, Lokogoma and Games Village, among others.
The Director, FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Mr Abdulateef Bello, stated during the exercise in Abuja that the move was in continuation of efforts to remove commercial motorcycles still operating in the city centre in line with the provisions of the law.
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“We have had this exercise in series, and I am sure by now, it is no more news that we will continue to impound commercial motorcycles that are still operating in the federal capital city.
“We have impounded over 600 motorcycles today, and they will all be crushed. The idea of crushing them is to serve as a deterrent to those who don’t believe that there is a ban on the operation of commercial motorcycles in the FCT.”
Bello expressed concern that in spite of the arrest of a huge number of motorcyclists in recent times, the number of defaulters being arrested during any operation had remained high.
He promised to carry out intelligence gathering to determine the reason behind the high number of operators despite the clampdown.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Haruna Garba, said the confiscation of the motorcycles was to ensure that there was no room for criminality in the FCT.
Garba, who was represented by ACP, Operations, Mode Magawata, said motorcycles within the FCT posed security threats.
According to him, most of the motorcycles were being used to facilitate criminal activities, ranging from one chance to snatching of bags, mobile phones and other criminal activities like drug peddling.
Magawata said the security agencies were given all the support and logistics to check criminal activities in the city.
He said the state of criminality in the FCT was on a downward trend due to the clampdown on hoodlums and those using motorcycles to commit crimes.
Similarly, the Commandant, FCT Command of the NSCDC, Mr Olusola Odumosu, said many people came into Abuja using motorcycles to perpetrate crime.
Odumosu, who was represented by Deputy Commandant Hussain Pama, in charge of Critical National Assets and Infrastructure, added that enforcing the ban on commercial motorcycles’ operations would reduce the rate of crime in the city.
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