The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has impounded 40 vehicles and 52 motorcycles in a major operation aimed at curbing violent robberies and restoring order to the city’s transport system.
The multi-agency crackdown targeted unpainted commercial vehicles often used in the notorious ‘one chance’ crimes, where criminals posing as taxi operators rob and assault passengers. The operation involved the police, civil defence, and the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS).
Inspecting the seized vehicles at the Wuye DRTS Command, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transport Secretariat, Chinedu Elechi, emphasised that the administration would sustain efforts to enforce transport regulations. “One of the security breaches is the use of unpainted vehicles to carry passengers. That is where the ‘one chance’ incidents happen. Painted taxis rarely face this problem,” he said.
Elechi noted that while the impounded motorcycles would be crushed, the vehicles would be subjected to due process through mobile courts. He warned violators that the crackdown would remain a permanent feature of FCTA’s security strategy.
Acting DRTS Director, Deborah Osho, explained that the seized vehicles and motorcycles were implicated in traffic and criminal offences, including route violations, driving against traffic, and bag snatching. She added that profiling all commercial drivers and allocating identification numbers to taxis would further enhance commuter safety.
