Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, on Thursday said that starting January 1, 2025, bus and taxi drivers in Abuja will be required to get security clearance from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, DSS, before they will be allowed to operate.
While speaking at the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme in Abuja Wike said the level of kidnapping and insecurity is on the rise adding that the security clearance would help to bring an end to kidnapping and cases of ‘one-chance’ robbery in Abuja.
He added that operating in Abuja as a commercial bus or taxi driver will depend on having clearance from the security agencies.
Wike further said the security agencies will collect the data of such drivers including his or her name, house address, number plate, among other necessary information.
“Most of the Keke Napep and most of the motorcycles are informants. Everybody here who is a beneficiary is being profiled by security. So what we are coming up with is that from January next year, there will be nobody that will operate as a taxi driver or a bus driver without having approval from security, without security profiling you and without going about with Abuja colour,” Wike said.
“Nothing like using any vehicle on the road. No, we won’t allow that. We won’t allow that starting in January. We will take the vehicle number, the names of the drivers, and the rest so everybody will have confidence that this is the vehicle I’m entering in case anything happens,” Wike added.
