The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reaffirmed its determination to stamp out criminal activities linked to illegal public transport operations in Abuja by utilising the newly constructed Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal to the fullest.
The mandate secretary of the FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, made this known yesterday during the continuation of an enforcement operation at the unauthorised motor park popularly known as Jabi Upstairs.
Represented by Mr Usman Abdulmumin, Elechi said the exercise was in line with the directive of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to eliminate illegal motor parks and flush out criminal elements operating from unauthorised transport locations across the capital city.
He explained that the enforcement exercise, which commenced on July 1, is designed to ensure that all commercial vehicles operate exclusively from the Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal.
Elechi disclosed that vehicles impounded during the operation would be released to their owners after completing the required documentation and signing an undertaking not to return to illegal loading points.
“We will release the vehicles to their owners after they have completed the necessary documentation and given assurances that they will not return to the illegal parks,” he said.
Also speaking, the secretary of the FCTA Command and Control Centre, Dr. Peter Olumuji, said the continued existence of illegal motor parks poses a serious threat to law and order in the nation’s capital.
He noted that personnel of the FCT Security Services Department are actively participating in the enforcement exercise to ensure strict compliance with the ban on illegal parks, stressing that many operators would ignore the directive without adequate security enforcement.
Olumuji added that since operations commenced at the Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal, public transportation within the FCT has become more organised, orderly and secure.
The director of Transport Planning and Institutional Development at Planet Projects Limited, Mr. Demola Olawepo, said the terminal is equipped with adequate security and operational facilities to guarantee the safety and convenience of commuters.
According to him, the establishment of the modern terminal has significantly reduced criminal activities previously associated with commercial transport operations in Abuja.
One of the passengers, Mr Hamzat Gumil, applauded the FCT Administration for introducing the coordinated transport system.
“This is my first time using the terminal, and I am impressed. Everything I have seen so far is well organised and satisfactory,” he said.
