The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has intensified its clampdown on traffic offenders and suspected criminal motorists in Abuja, impounding more than 700 vehicles linked to violations such as fake number plates, illegal tinted windows, and other offences.
The Director of FCTA’s Department of Security Services, Adamu Gwary, disclosed this during a late-night stop-and-search operation at Apo-Wassa Junction and the Karu axis on Monday.
He was represented by the Secretary of the Command and Control Centre, Dr. Peter Olumuji.
According to Gwary, the enforcement exercise, tagged Operation Sweep Abuja Clean, is a multi-agency effort targeted at curbing the menace of “one-chance” robberies and recovering stolen vehicles.
“So far, between the first and second phases of the operation, we have impounded over 700 vehicles,” Gwary revealed. “The operation has reduced one-chance incidents to the barest minimum. Our presence on the roads sends a strong signal to criminals that no part of the FCT is safe for them.”
He added that intelligence from victims of one-chance robberies indicated that perpetrators often use vehicles with tinted windows, fake plates, or no registration at all.
Gwary cautioned commercial drivers and business owners against using tinted glasses, stressing that such practices enable criminals to conceal their activities.
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The task force, he noted, also recovered seven stolen vehicles in the past week.
He appealed to residents to bear with the temporary inconveniences caused by the stop-and-search exercise, assuring them that the measures were designed to enhance public safety.
Also speaking, the Head of Operations at the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Deborah Osho, said unregistered and unpainted taxis remained a major focus of the enforcement drive.
“Many of the one-chance vehicles either operate as unpainted taxis or carry fake number plates that cannot be traced. Today alone in Karu, you can see the large number of vehicles apprehended. This is a clear message that Abuja is no longer a safe haven for criminals,” Osho stated.
Both officials affirmed that the operation would continue until order is fully restored on Abuja roads and urged residents to support security and traffic enforcement officers in the effort to ensure a safer city.