The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has directed all commercial transport operators using illegal parks and roadside loading points across Abuja to immediately relocate to designated bus terminals or face enforcement action.
The warning was issued on Thursday by the Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Chinedum Elechi, during a press briefing in Abuja.
Elechi said all unauthorised loading points would be shut down, while vehicles operating from illegal parks would be impounded without further notice. He explained that the directive is part of the FCTA’s plan to fully operationalise the ultra-modern bus terminals in Mabushi, Kugbo and the Central Business District (CBD), in line with the vision of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to restore order, improve security and modernise public transportation in the nation’s capital.
“The Federal Capital City is the capital of Nigeria, just like London is to the UK or Paris to France. Our capital cannot be different. At the root of decency and a modern city is a functional public transportation system. The days of everybody doing what they like in the FCT are over,” Elechi said.
He noted that the FCTA has invested billions of naira in constructing the terminals, describing them as the first of their kind in the FCT’s history.
According to him, the facilities will not only improve the city’s appearance and boost tourism but also enhance security by eliminating illegal transport hubs linked to “one chance” robberies, drug trafficking and arms smuggling.
Elechi disclosed that a recent enforcement exercise uncovered illegal items in vehicles operating from unauthorised parks, reinforcing the administration’s resolve to sanitise the transport sector.
“About two weeks ago, we carried out a trial enforcement and impounded vehicles after issuing quit notices. We discovered highly illegal products inside some of those vehicles. What we saw was frightening,” he said.
He added that operators using the official terminals would undergo proper profiling, a measure expected to significantly improve security across Abuja. The mandate secretary said the FCTA has engaged private firms, including Planet Projects, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to manage the terminals.
He dismissed claims that the relocation policy would affect operators’ livelihoods, stressing that the administration was only moving them from unsafe roadside locations into secure, government-built facilities.
Expressing frustration over repeated violations, Elechi revealed that although more than 100 vehicles had previously been impounded and their owners released after signing undertakings, many returned to illegal loading points almost immediately.
He warned that the FCTA would now strictly enforce Order 1 and the FCT Transportation Regulations 2023, empowering the secretariat to license operators, seal illegal motor parks and confiscate non-compliant vehicles.
“If you convert private premises into illegal motor parks, we will seal the premises, impound your vehicles and enforce the law to the letter. With the full backing of the FCT Minister and the Presidency, we will maintain a zero-tolerance policy against illegal transport operations to restore order and safety in Abuja,” Elechi said.
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