The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sunday said its collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association was already yielding results as prosecution of recalcitrant offenders including drivers involved in fatal crashes in top gear.
This was even as it added that it has deployed guns, radar, breathalyzers equipment to put a check on drunk-driving and over speeding.
The Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dauda Biu gave the hint at the official flag off of 2024 Sallah motor rally at Dankogi Park, Zuba.
Biu said the theme for this year’s rally which is; ”Overloading is a Time Bomb: Stop the Deaths, Do not Overload with Persons, Animals or Goods” is apt and could not have come at a better time than now.
According to him, The Federal Road Safety Corps is working assiduously to ensure a significant shift in the attitude of motorists this year 2024, as such, Nigerians must be aware that frequent cases of road crashes on our roads is not linked to any spirit killing people, rather, an increase in human and vehicular movement, bad driving behaviour, and impatience are the major causes.
The Corps Marshall said part of the efforts towards sanitising the highways was the inter-agency Joint Task Force recently constituted to operate along critical corridors in different states of the federation.
Biu explained that the mandate of the JTF is to mitigate trailer-related crashes and fatalities as well as stop the use of trailers to convey passengers.
He said this is because prior to the inauguration of the JTF, the Corps recorded a number of avoidable crashes that involved trailers loaded with goods, animals and passengers leading to deaths and injuries.
Biu added: “In line with the mandate of the JTF, the various teams have been able to apprehend 35 trailers carrying 982 passengers. From the aforementioned number, a total of 19 trailers carrying 810 people where apprehended on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.
“While, the JTF team covering Bauchi-Maiduguri general operation area of the Corps also arrested 16 trailers conveying 172 passengers on that route.
“These arrests were perfected within the first one week beginning from 23 to 30 March, 2024 of its operations on the identified routes.”
Speaking further, Biu stressed that the constitution of the inter-agency JTF has became significant to bring to an end to cases of road crashes involving trailers like that of 4th March, 2024 in Tashan Yari where a trailer loaded with grains and passengers crashed and killed 12 persons.
Others, he said were that of 18 March, 2024 where a trailer loaded with goods and 172 passengers crashed on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway, killing 10 people; as well as that of Sunday 31 March, 2024 in Obajana which led to the death of 13 people.