The recklessness exhibited by commercial motorcycle operators on the streets of Port Harcourt , the Rivers State capital, is giving officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission a cause for concern.
Similarly, the Port Harcourt-based Institute of Human Right and Humanitarian Law is worried by the carelessness displayed by the riders in the course of their daily operation.
The two groups made the remarks in separate statements made available to our correspondent in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The IHRHL asked law enforcement agents in the state to take immediate steps to stop the recklessness by the riders and impose stiff penalties on offenders.
In the statement signed by the Programme Assistant on Documentation, Mr. Kelechi Aguocha, the institute said, it was alarming that officials of the State Road Traffic Agency were not doing anything about the activities of the commercials motorcyclists.�
Aguocha said that it was wrong and risky for the motorcyclists to ignore traffic light and carry their passengers away into disasters in many cases without any warning or reprimand from the relevant agencies.
It said, �The IHRHL is hereby calling on the authorities, especially the FRSC, traffic police and the union of commercial motorcycle operators to take action and ensure that these cyclists operate in accordance with traffic rules and regulations.�
But the FRSC in Port Harcourt said that it was taking steps to educate the riders on the best methods of operation to avoid accidents before taking actions against them.
To this end, the FRSC has fixed Thursday this week for the enlightenment of the riders.
The event is slated for the Army Day Nursery and Primary School in Port Harcourt and is to hosted by the Sector Commander of the FRSC in the state, Mr. Sobowale Oke.