On Thursday, the Joint Task Force Team of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) impounded and crushed 639 commercial motorcycles for operating illegally in Abuja’s capital city.

This brought the total number of commercial motorcycles impounded and crushed to 1,509 between August and December.

Four hundred motorcycles were impounded and crushed in August, while 470 were destroyed in September.

The motorcycles crushed on Thursday were impounded at strategic spots in the city centre where the motorcyclists operate.

The areas included Airport Road, Gudu, Lokogoma, and Games Villega, among others.

Abdulateef Bello, director of the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), stated during the exercise in Abuja,

Mr Bello explained that the move was in continuation of efforts to remove commercial motorcycles still operating in the city centre in line with the law.

“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 barn on the operation of commercial motorcycles in the FCT,” he said.

Mr Bello expressed concern that despite the recent arrest of a huge number of motorcyclists, the number of defaulters being arrested during any operation had remained high.

He promised to gather intelligence to determine the reason behind the high number of operators despite the clamp down.

The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Haruna Garba, said the impoundment and crushing of the impounded motorcycles was to ensure no room for criminalities in FCT.

Mr Garba, represented by ACP, Operations, Mode Magawata, said the motorcycles were impounded within the FCT metropolis posing security threats.

Similarly, Olusola Odumosu, the commandant of the FCT Command of NSCDC, said most of the scavengers came into Abuja using motorcycles to perpetrate crime.

(NAN)