A statewide crackdown on negligent motorcyclists who fail to register their bikes with the National Vehicle Identification Scheme has been announced by the Federal Road Safety Corps. In a statement released Monday night, Dauda Ali-Biu, the acting Corps Marshal, announced the news. This followed other alleged terrorist assaults in different parts of the nation. There had been attacks in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory after several Boko Haram terrorists had been freed during the Boko Haram insurgency at the Kuje Correctional Center. Additionally, a Boko Haram leader who was impersonating a security guard was reportedly detained on Sunday in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
Ali-Biu issued instructions to the 37 Sector Commanders across the country ordering them to begin with immediate effect using full force enforcement on any motorcycle seen lacking the proper registration. Ali-Biu was concerned about the rising number of unregistered motorcycles operating on the roads and the urgent need to ensure that all two-wheel vehicles were properly captured in the National Vehicle Identification Scheme database. The direction came after the impending necessity to comply with the Federal Government’s order on clamping down on this horde of unregistered motorcycles on Nigerian roads. The state had to issue the order to address the problem of insecurity and stop these types of unregistered vehicles from operating continuously on our roads.
The acting Corps Marshal charged the Sector Commanders to immediately coordinate with the Boards of Internal Revenue in their respective states, and form a task force in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies where necessary, including the Vehicle Inspection Office and other stakeholders for effective enforcement while emphasizing, in particular, the security implications of not capturing all motorcycles in the national database. The order further said that unregistered motorbikes would be confiscated and that owners would be required to start and finish full registration before their bikes could be freed.
The operation, according to the acting Corps Marshal, aims to register and document unregistered motorcycles in the national database. He cautioned that while officials may not issue motorcycle operators notice of offence tickets, all motorbikes impounded must be fully documented.
