By ANGELA ATABO

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has impounded 40 cars and 52 motorcycles in its clampdown operation on commercial transport operators who violated traffic rules and aided criminal activities in Abuja.

Mr. Chinedu Elechi, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transport Secretariat, disclosed this on Monday while inspecting the seized cars at the Wuye Command of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Abuja.

He said the operation was carried out by a multi-agency task force, including the Police, Civil Defense and other security outfits, with a mandate aimed at tackling crimes such as kidnapping and the notorious “one chance” robberies.

The FCT transport scribe, who said commercial motorcycles seized during the raid would be crushed, added that vehicles would be subjected to mobile court processes before final decisions are taken.

“We don’t just impound, the owners will face a mobile court.

“So, what we will do with them will depend on the court order, where we can tell you straight away that the bikes are crushed, but all of these things will happen after the court order,” he said.

The secretary stressed that the clampdown would be sustained as long as violators persist, warning that the FCTA will not relent in enforcing order in the transport sector.

“If the people use the bikes and unpainted vehicles, so long as they are not tired of violating the law, we too cannot be tired. So, sustainability is maintained as they violate. It’s an FCT task. We will keep on doing it.”

Elechi noted that the clampdown was not limited to transport regulations, but also tied to wider security concerns in the capital city.

He said there has to be sanity because the function of government is actually the welfare and security.

According to him, the FCT administration will not be tired of carrying out raid operation because one of the security breaches is the use of unpainted vehicles to carry passengers.

“That is where the one chance thing happens. It hardly happens with the painted taxis.”

Elechi disclosed that the administration was working on profiling all commercial drivers in Abuja as part of measures to sanitize the sector.

He said that taxis would be allocated numbers, painted, and registered to ensure that commuters only enter identifiable vehicles.

“We are going to have security programmes involving all the drivers. We will allocate numbers to all the taxis.

“If you will be doing transportation in Abuja, we will profile all commercial drivers so that everybody will know that when you are entering a commercial vehicle, it is painted and has a side number.

“If you decide to use your personal vehicle to do transportation, we will come after you because that is how the one chance thing happens,” he said.

Speaking on the newly inaugurated bus terminals, the mandate secretary explained that operations would commence fully once procurement processes for private operators under a public-private partnership arrangement are concluded.

He said that some of the vehicles were already arriving.

Also speaking, Deborah Osho, Acting Director of the FCT DRTS, clarified that the vehicles and motorcycles were seized for a range of traffic offences, with unpainted commercial taxis topping the list.

“They were impounded for various traffic offences. We have some for route violations, some for driving against the traffic, but the major offense is the unpainted commercial vehicles.

“You can see that a lot of vehicles around there are not painted and those are the ones that have been used mostly for one chance,” Osho explained.

She added that 52 motorcycles and four tricycles were also confiscated, mainly for route violations and links to criminal activities.

“These ones also are mostly used for criminal activities. You can see for bag snatching and all manner of activities in the town,” she said. (NAN)