By Desire Emmanuel
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Monday, June 1, announced that 1,691 motorists were arrested for various offences across 11 states of the federation in five days.
The road traffic monitoring agency disclosed this in a statement, saying they were arrested for overloading, packing passengers with goods, using fake diplomatic number plates, among other traffic rule violations.
Giving details of the arrest, it said 683 were nabbed for overloading and mix-loading, 1,003 for number plate-related offences, and five apprehended for using fake diplomatic number plates.
“Beyond the figures lies a disturbing reality: a growing culture of impunity among road users who exploit illegal vehicle identities and flagrantly disregard safety regulations.
“The discoveries made during the operation further exposed the widespread abuse of unauthorised number plates and other deceptive registration schemes designed to evade lawful scrutiny,” it said.
The FRSC added that the operation carried out by its officers, codenamed “Operation Guduma,” also uncovered numerous vehicles operating with dangerously unlatched containers and overloaded cargoes, conditions that significantly increase the likelihood of catastrophic crashes, fatalities and economic losses.
Excited by the success of Operation Guduma, the FRSC has announced plans to institutionalise the intervention across major corridors nationwide while strengthening collaboration with security and law-enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders are not only apprehended, but also prosecuted.
