Billy Graham Abel, Yola
The Adamawa State command of the Nigeria Police has banned the use of motorcycles in all the 21 local government areas of the state.
The command made this known in a press statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, explaining that the move was informed by rising crime rate in the state.
The statement which was signed by the Adamawa State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Othman Abubakar, said: “This has become necessary because of the incessant use of such motorcycles in committing heinous crimes such as kidnapping, armed banditry, communal clashes and other criminal activities in the state.”
The statement added that: “The police would by the announcement of the ban go all out on aggressive patrol and arrest of defaulters.”
The ban on motorcycles, it could be recalled, has long been in place but was only observed mostly in the state capital, Yola, especially in the city centre, while it was largely ignored in the rest of the state.
The fresh ban on motorcycles leaves the state with commercial try cycles, otherwise called Keke NAPEP, which are frequently used, especially in the state capital, Yola, by young criminal elements called “Shilla Boys” to rob, rape and even abduct unsuspecting passengers.
While the outgoing government under Mohammed, Jibrilla Bindow, recently expressed a plan to register operators of Keke NAPEP for close monitoring and the incoming government, led by governor-elect, Ahmadu, Umaru Fintiri, was in the weekend reported to be putting forward a plan to grant amnesty to members of the gang as an initial step towards helping them renounce criminality and reintegrate them to society.
The ban on motorcycles is undoubtedly a questionable step by the police, who by this act may be punishing the local communities who are being attacked by insurgents on bikes, as most of the communities where the motorcycles are still in use are largely farming communities that rely on the bikes for farming activities.