As part of ongoing efforts to clear restricted areas of commercial motorcycle (okada) operations, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has conducted a joint enforcement raid in Abuja’s city center and locations like the Kubwa Expressway axis.
The task force, comprising the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), police, military and paramilitary agencies, took to the streets to apprehend okada riders violating traffic rules and causing disturbances in the territory.
Some of the targeted areas included Garki Areas 1 and 3, Guzape, Durumi 1, 2 and 3, Mpape Junction, Asokoro, and the Kubwa axis, where motorcycles were confiscated.DRTS Head of Operation, Deborah Osho, described the exercise as a routine activity that will continue as long as okada men persist in flouting traffic regulations by operating in prohibited zones.
She stated that the enforcement team will keep seizing motorcycles until the court authorizes their destruction.”We were able to clear the city center and expressway of the okada menace and their activities, which include causing traffic congestion and other offenses that violate traffic rules,” Osho said.
The Secretary of the FCT Command and Control Centre of the Security Services Department, Dr. Peter Olumuji, noted a significant reduction in crime rates associated with commercial motorcycle use.
He emphasized that the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Benneth Igweh, has reiterated the areas where okada men are prohibited from operating.Olumuji stated that the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, is committed to ensuring the safety and security of FCT residents.
He described the operation as a sustained effort to improve security in the FCT, surpassing past conditions.The joint operation involved various security agencies, including the Nigerian Police, Civil Defence, Department of State Services (DSS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Immigration Services, and Correctional Services.
