By Philip Yatai

The Joint Task Force Team of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Thursday impounded and crushed no fewer than 400 commercial motorcycles for operating illegally in Abuja capital city.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the motorcycles were impounded at strategic spots the motorcyclists use as their routes for operations.

The areas included Kpaduma II, Asokoro Extension, Galadimawa by Primary School, Gudu market, Kabusa junction and Apo mechanic village.

Mr Abdulateef Bello, Director, FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), said that the operation was part of ongoing efforts to take commercial motorcycles and tricycle operators off Abuja roads.

This, he said, was in line with the matching order by the Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, to ensure sanity on Abuja roads.

Bello said that the DRTS had been working hard to enforce  the ban on commercial motorcycles and tricycle operations within Abuja metropolis since 2006.

He ,however , said  that the operators kept returning to the roads, adding that the FCTA had declared zero tolerance for illegal operations of commercial motorcycles.

Earlier, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, Garba Haruna, said that the exercise was a sign that the law on motorcycle ban was still in force.

“FCT residents are aware that commercial motorcycles have been banned from entering the Federal Capital City since 2006.

“We decided to crush the impounded ones today to indicate  that the city centre is not an area for them to operate,” Haruna said.

The commissioner said the motorcyclists were allowed to operate only in the suburbs of FCT.

“We don’t want to see any motorcycles in the city centre,” he insisted. (NAN)

Edited by Buhari Bolaji