The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Tuesday, crushed 601 impounded motorcycles.

Mandate Secretary, Transportation Secretariat, FCTA, Elechi Chinedum, told journalists after the exercise that the motorcycles were impounded for violating traffic rules.

Mr Chinedum explained that the crushing exercise was backed by a regulation of the FCT Administration, which prohibited commercial motorcycles from operating in certain areas of the FCT.

He added that the law empowered the FCTA and its directorate to impound and crush any commercial motorcycle found flaunting the provisions of the law.

He said, “There is nothing we can do apart from enforcing the law. What we do is to try as much as possible to enforce the regulation and not to punish anybody.’’

He advised residents against operating commercial motorcycles in prohibited areas, saying, “If we catch you, we will impound it and crush it.”

Earlier, the DRTS Director, Abdulateef Bello, said that the essence of the exercise was to curtail traffic abuses in the territory.

Mr Bello stated, “This exercise has been our usual routine exercise to enforce the existing ban on the use of commercial motorcycles in the federal capital city. You will recall that the ban was initiated in 2006 to control and curtail their abuses by motorcyclists in the city. However, the current concern is to curb criminalities and other security threats. As you may be aware, commercial motorcycles have been used to facilitate crime and criminality in the city.’’

He advised residents who were still investing in such businesses to have a rethink, adding that the DRTS would continue to crush impounded motorcycles in line with the provisions of the law.

On his part, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, FCT Command, Mode Magawata, reiterated FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s directive that any motorcycle that operates within the restricted areas should be impounded.

Mr Magawata pointed out that there were people being used to commit all kinds of crimes within the cities and were using motorcycles to run away.  

“They are criminals; they are armed robbers, and they use motorcycles to kidnap innocent residents. This is why Wike said he does not want to see any commercial motorcycles within the restricted areas. As you can see, there are capable hands that are here to ensure that law,” he said. 

(NAN)