FCT Minister Orders Profiling of All Commercial Buses in Abuja by January 2025
In a move to enhance security and reduce crime within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, has announced that all commercial buses operating in Abuja must be profiled by the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) by January 2025. The minister made this declaration during the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme held in Garki, Abuja.
Wike emphasized that the profiling process, which includes recording essential information about commercial vehicles and their drivers, is part of a broader strategy to combat incidents of kidnapping and “one-chance” robberies, where unsuspecting passengers are robbed in transit. According to the minister, any commercial bus that fails to comply with the profiling requirement by the deadline will be barred from operating in the city.
“Most of the Keke Napep and most of the motorcycles are informants,” Wike stated, underlining that security measures would extend beyond just the buses to address concerns across all forms of public transportation in the capital.
He further explained the criteria for compliance, saying, “There will be nobody that will operate as a taxi driver or a bus driver without having approval from security, with security profiling you and without going about with Abuja colour.”
Additionally, Wike clarified that only vehicles compliant with the official Abuja color scheme would be allowed to operate, stressing that unauthorized vehicles would no longer be tolerated on the roads. “Nothing like using any vehicle on the road. No, we won’t allow that. From January, we won’t allow that.”
To reassure the public of the initiative’s positive impact on safety, the minister noted, “We will take the vehicle number, name of the drivers and the rest so everybody will have confidence that this is the vehicle I’m entering in case anything happens.”
The minister’s directives are part of a comprehensive approach to bolster confidence in Abuja’s public transportation system, making it safer and more reliable for all residents and visitors.