The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has impounded 40 commercial vehicles for operating outside the newly inaugurated Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal, as authorities intensify efforts to enforce the relocation of roadside transport operators.
The Secretary of the FCTA Security Services Department’s Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Olumuji, disclosed this after an enforcement exercise in Utako, Abuja, on Friday.
He said the vehicles were seized between Wednesday and Friday for violating the directive requiring commercial transport operators to relocate to the Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal.
The FCT Transport Secretariat had announced the commencement of operations at the terminal on 21 June and directed all operators using illegal and ad hoc motor parks in Utako and other locations to relocate by 24 June.
According to Dr Olumuji, operators who failed to comply with the directive would face prosecution in line with the FCT’s traffic regulations. He added that some individuals were also arrested by the police for obstructing officials during the enforcement exercise.
He explained that the operation was aimed at improving commuter safety and ensuring that all commercial vehicles operate from designated terminals.
“The security benefit of the bus terminal is that whenever you board a vehicle, you are boarding a registered vehicle driven by an identified operator. The enforcement exercise will continue until we achieve full compliance,” he said.
An official of the FCT Transport Secretariat, Mr Usman Abdulmuminu, said transport operators had been given adequate notice to relocate through public announcements and media campaigns.
He noted that while many operators had already complied, the enforcement exercise was also intended to create awareness among residents that the Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal was fully operational.
The operator of the facility, Planet Projects, said the terminal has the capacity to accommodate about 250 vehicles under a structured flow-through system.
Its Transport Planning Director, Mr Demola Olawepo, urged commercial drivers to take advantage of the secure and organised facility, designed to provide safer and more efficient transport services.
Also speaking, the company’s General Manager of Operations, Mr Kolawale Babatunde, said the terminal commenced operations on 1 July and has so far processed about 800 passengers and 130 vehicles.
He said the facility enhances passenger safety by ensuring that all transport operators are registered, licensed and traceable.
Some users of the terminal also commended the initiative. Commercial driver Abdulsalami Dada described the services as more organised than roadside operations, while passengers Chioma Okoro and Adamu Emmanuel praised the terminal’s orderly environment, efficient ticketing process and improved customer service.
