THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it had impounded more than 700 vehicles for offences, including the use of fake number plates and illegal tinted glass.

Some of the vehicles were also seized for other traffic violations.

The Director of the FCTA Department of Security Services, Adamu Gwary, explained that the action formed part of the administration’s renewed efforts to crack down on motorists with criminal inclinations in Abuja, particularly one-chance robbers.

Gwary, represented by the Secretary of the Command and Control Centre, Peter Olumuji, disclosed this during a late-night stop-and-search operation on Monday, August 18, at Apo-Wassa junction and the Karu axis of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Gwary said the operation was the second phase of Operation Sweep Abuja Clean, a multi-agency initiative aimed at curbing one-chance robberies and recovering stolen vehicles.

He said over 700 vehicles were impounded from both the first and second phases.

“The operation has drastically reduced the incidence of one chance to the barest minimum.

“Our stop-and-search exercise has made it clear to criminals that no matter where they are in the FCT, the team will always reach them,” he told Punch.

He clarified that intelligence gathered from victims showed that most vehicles used in “one-chance” robberies were illegally tinted, unregistered, or bore fake number plates.

Gwary warned motorists, particularly commercial drivers, against using tinted glasses, stressing that criminals exploited them to conceal their activities.

He noted that his team saw people who used tinted glass for lawful businesses, but added that most of the victims of one-chance robberies interrogated reported that the vehicles they boarded had tinted glasses.

He disclosed that the task force recovered seven stolen vehicles in just a week. He appealed to residents to endure the temporary inconveniences caused by the stop-and-search operations.

Also speaking, Head of Operations at the Directorate of Road Traffic Services at the FCTA, Deborah Osho, said the joint task force had stepped up efforts to rid Abuja of unregistered and unpainted taxis often linked to criminal activities.

She added that several vehicles had been impounded for various traffic offences, including driving against traffic and using unauthorised number plates.

She stated that most of the vehicles used for one-chance robberies either had fake number plates that were not traceable to the actual vehicles or operated as unpainted taxis, making identification difficult.

“Today in Karu, you can see the huge number of vehicles apprehended. This is sending a clear message that Abuja is too hot for criminals,” Osho said.

Recall that in July, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, directed that the nation’s capital be completely rid of street beggars, traders, ‘one chance’ syndicates, scavengers, and other social nuisances as part of efforts to improve security in the city..

The ICIR reported on Monday that the FCTA also announced plans to pull down all illegal settlements, particularly shanties that harbour criminals and hinder development projects in the nation’s capital.

Bankole ABE

Reporter at ICIR | abankole@icirnigeria.org | Author Page

A reporter with the ICIR
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