By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
Barely two months after Taraba State Government reinforced the ban on motorcycle in Jalingo town, residents of the town especially security agents have again defied the order and resurfaced with its use.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that Governor Agbu Kefas, had on Tuesday, January 23 2024, directed the reinforcement of a total ban on motorcycles in Jalingo, the state capital.
Our correspondent also reports that, late former governor Danbaba Suntai, had in 2012, banned the use of motorcycles in the town over insecurity.
In a press statement issued from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the State Taraba, the development was due to the sudden spate of criminality in the state capital.
According to the statement, a task force committee which was constituted by the state Deputy Governor Aminu Alkali, on behalf of Governor Kefas, with the state Commissioner of police as chairman, while all head of sister security agencies are members, directed that defaulters of the order be arrested and tried by the mobile court, while their motorcycles be confiscated and destroyed.
However, residents of Jalingo have defied the order and resurfaced with the use of motorcycles in the town.
Meanwhile, investigation conducted by our correspondent reviewed that 90 per cent of the violators are security agents.
Checked by our correspondent also reviewed that the constituted committee has since inauguration, not arrested nor, confiscated motorcycle of any violator of the order.
Mr Philibus Nyaku, ono of the defaulters who spoke to our correspondent said, “I am still using my motorcycle here in Jalingo after the governor’s order because, so many people are riding motorcycle here freely.
“Yes, I stopped using the bike after the order, and even made some moves to take it to the village for sale but my wife advised me to wait until raining season when I would sell the motorcycle and use the money for farming. The bike was in the house until when I started seeing so many people riding motorcycle around without being arrested before I became courageous to also start using mine,” the violator expressed.
Findings show some of the defaulters of the order are mostly seen in either police face cap, FRSC ID card, NSCDC ID card and other means of identification to prove they are security agents using private motorcycles amidst the ban.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the Taraba State police command whom her Commissioner is the committee chairman to react on the development failed, as the command Public Relations Officer Usman Abdulahi did not answer calls to his telephone.
