Barr Nyesom Wike, has declared that commercial tricycles (Keke Napep) and motorcycles (Okada) will never be allowed to operate within Abuja city centre, insisting they have become a major security threat.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said the decision followed the resolution of the FCT Security Council, which identified the operators as posing both security and environmental challenges in the nation’s capital.
He disclosed that he had already signed the approval to strengthen enforcement of the restriction.
“You talked about Keke Napep and Okada. Just this morning, I signed the approval because we had a Security Council meeting where we agreed that they don’t just constitute a nuisance, but have become a security threat,” Wike said.
The minister explained that security agencies had been directed to identify areas where Keke Napep and Okada would remain prohibited, stressing that while a total ban across the entire FCT may not be feasible, the city centre would remain off-limits to them.
“I have told the security agencies to map out areas where we do not need Keke Napep and motorcycles, but it would be difficult to ban them across the entire Abuja,” he added.
Wike also vowed to sustain the crackdown on beggars and destitute persons roaming the streets of Abuja, saying the FCT Administration would not turn the capital into a refuge for people migrating from neighbouring states.
According to him, security operatives regularly remove beggars from the city, but many return shortly afterwards.
He rejected calls for government to establish shelters for them, warning that such a move would only attract more destitute persons from Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Kaduna states.
“Each time we take them out, they come back again. If we provide accommodation for them, we will only encourage more people to come into Abuja. We cannot continue to fund that,” Wike said.
He assured residents that the FCT Administration would continue to enforce policies aimed at improving security, restoring order and keeping Abuja clean and safe.
