Keke Napep, Okada remain banned in Abuja city centre — Wike

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said commercial tricycles, popularly known as Keke Napep, and motorcycles will remain barred from operating within the Abuja city centre over growing security concerns.

The FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, said the decision followed resolutions reached at a meeting of the FCT Security Council, where authorities concluded that the operations of both Keke Napep and Okada had become not only a nuisance but also a security threat.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike disclosed that he had already approved fresh measures to restrict their operations in designated areas, although he acknowledged that enforcing a blanket ban across the entire Federal Capital Territory would be difficult.

“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 do not just cause a nuisance but have also become a security threat.

“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 entirely across Abuja.”

The minister also said the administration would continue to remove beggars and other destitute persons from the city, maintaining that the FCTA could not shoulder the responsibility of providing accommodation for people arriving from neighbouring states.

“We are working that out and just need approval to raise the logistics. Even destitute persons and beggars are all over the place. Each time we take them out, they come back.

“Some people say, ‘Why not provide somewhere for them to stay?’ How would we continue to do that? It means we are encouraging people to leave Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Kaduna states. How can you fund that?” he stated.