By Ayoni M. Agbabiaka
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been warned against the non-usage of pedestrian bridges and destruction of barricades or face the wrath of the law.
Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, gave the warning yesterday during the FCT Operations Briefing Session in Life-Camp, Abuja.
He added that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) recently convicted and sentenced 25 commercial motorcyclists (okada) riders to jail without option of fines.
The minister said the okada riders were dragged to mobile courts by the special task team on the City Cleaning and Management inaugurated by the administration and headed by the FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu who found them guilty.
He then warned residents disobeying to henceforth use the overhead bridges for crossing the highways or face the full wrath of the law.
He, therefore, directed the security agencies particularly the police and the VIO to deploy personnel to critical areas such as Area 1, 3 Garki, Kubwa, Lugbe and Dei-Dei for the enforcement.
However, the minister said the task team pointed out that some of the penalties received by the offenders which ranged from N3, 000 to N5, 000 were light, while calling for the review and strengthening of the fines and penalties in the AEPB laws or to get the Area Councils, particularly AMAC, Bwari and Gwagwalada to enact Bye-Laws with severe penalties to complement the AEPB Act.
