Liberia: 10pm Curfew for Motorbikes in Ganta

The Ganta City administration has imposed night-time restrictions on the movement of motorbikes across the city to curb the growing crime rate.

The restriction, which is expected to be implemented by state security apparatus, will impact night time travel in the bustling City of Ganta, Nimba County’s largest commercial city.  

“We have been mandated to stop the movement of motorcycles across Ganta at midnight to curtail the growing crime rate,” said Inspector Archie Dennis, Commander of the Ganta Detail, Liberia National Police. “The entire community leaders recommended the grounding of motorcyclists because the crime rate is becoming high at night.”

The motorcycle curfew, which runs from 10pm to 6am, was a decision reached at a city council meeting involving all the community leaders of the city. The meeting centered around the insecurity across the municipality, for which the motorcyclists have been accused as key facilitators.

The growing crime rate across Ganta has reached a borderline state of emergency status, since many of the perpetrators use motorcycles to steal phones and other valuable items from people on the street.

“The community leaders are complaining that motorcycles were used in most of the criminal activities across Ganta,” Dennis added. 

However, he said the restriction is surely intended for commercial motorcycles. Those using private motorcycles during the curfew hours will be required to show genuine identity.

During the curfew hours, the police will place road blocks at strategic areas to streamline movement ahead of and during the Christmas and New Year holiday celebrations.

Recently, the police began cracking down on criminals across two major Nimba cities — Sanniquellie and Ganta — by raiding the criminals’ hideouts and sending high-profile criminals to court.

However, the police are warning the public and all motorcyclists to adhere to the restriction to avoid any further embarrassment.