136 Impounded Tricycles Released By FCT

The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, has directed the Department of Road Transport Services (DRTS) to release 136 impounded tricycles to their owners.

A statement issued on Thursday by FCTA Chief Press Secretary, Anthony Ogunleye, said the act was a gesture of goodwill as well as in appreciation for compliance to the rule of law by commercial tricycle operators.

Various unions of the tricycle operators gathered to receive the tricycles on behalf of their members at a symbolic ceremony held at the DRTS office in Mabushi, Abuja.

The handover was supervised by the resource person on traffic management in the FCT, Alhaji Ahmed Sajor, who represented the minister.

He, however, stated that although the release was unconditional, the FCTA expected all concerned to abide by laid down rules and regulations or face the full wrath of the law.

He said: “Let me say this for the benefit of everybody here. Violation of traffic rules is still an offence and can attract sanctions by security agencies. This gesture by the Honourable Minister does not mean it’s a free for all situation and people can continue to violate traffic regulations. It is the responsibility of the security agencies, the DRTS, Road Safety, the police and Department of State Services to make sure that traffic rules are obeyed in the FCT.”

Speaking at the event, the Director DRTS, Wadata Bodinga, said the gesture would sustain the cooperation, which security operatives were getting from the unions and the riders in enforcing the restriction of movement of the tricycles.

He called on representatives of the tricycle owners and riders to take the message of the kind gesture to all their members while impressing it on them that an abuse of the gesture will not augur well for them, stressing that any tricycle operator caught violating the restriction will be dealt with accordingly.

Also speaking, the representative of the Director, Department of Security Services, Mr. Peter Olumuji, observed that most tricycles used to perpetrate crime in the FCT were not registered with the union.

He therefore advised the union to register all riders, ensure their biodata is captured and have a side code on their tricycle to indicate the area where they are allowed to operate, adding that any tricycle operator without the side code and not captured properly will be apprehended henceforth.