Okada ban: FCTA crushes 476 impounded bikes over law violations

The federal capital territory administration (FCTA) has crushed 476 impounded motorcycles for violating the bike movement restrictions within Abuja.

After the bikes were crushed on Wednesday, Abdulateef Bello, director, FCT directorate of road traffic services (DRTS), said the administration would keep repeating the process as long as riders were adamant about breaking the law.

Bello reminded residents that the restrictions were still valid and that the FCTA would remain committed to enforcing the rules.

He asked for a collaboration between members of the public and the government to discourage “the lawlessness of these commercial motorcycle operators”.

On his part, Ikharo Attah, senior special assistant to the FCT minister on monitoring, inspection, and enforcement, expressed dismay at the repeated movement restriction violations.

He said over 1,000 bikes had been impounded a few months ago but that did not stop some persons from taking unnecessary economic risks by bringing in droves of commercial motorcycles to restricted areas.

“It is worrisome that despite all that we do on a daily basis, activities of these commercial motorcyclists have been linked with criminal activities. They ought not to operate within the capital city, but here we have them operating in total contraventions of what the law says in a modern city like Abuja,” Attah said.

“I thought that having crushed many of the illegal bikes, this menace would have reduced. If not that we crush them publicly, people would have been thinking that we sell them to ourselves.

“We crush them in full public glare with the scrap sold and the money paid into government’s coffers but the operators have not relented.”