The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has ordered its commanding officers to ramp up enforcement against vehicle overloading across the country in a renewed bid to enhance road safety.
This was disclosed by the Corps Public Education Officer, Olusegun Ogungbemide, during an interview on Sunday in Abuja.
Ogungbemide dismissed claims that the FRSC had not been enforcing regulations on overloading, describing such suggestions as inaccurate.
“There is no place where you visit today where you won’t find overloaded vehicles being impounded for one infraction or the other,” he said.
He noted that evidence of ongoing enforcement operations, including recent arrests, was frequently shared on the FRSC’s social media platforms.
According to him, from January to December 2024, the Corps impounded 5,217 overloaded vehicles across its 12 operational zones.
Breakdown of the arrests included 777 vehicles in Kaduna zone, 500 in Sokoto, 489 in Oshogbo, 223 in Bauchi, 489 in Lagos, and 89 in Yola. Others were 289 in Jos, 356 in Benin, 140 in Port Harcourt, 1,266 in Abuja, 440 in Ilorin, and 157 in Enugu.
“This is ongoing and we won’t relent until road traffic crashes are curbed to the barest minimum on Nigerian roads,” Ogungbemide stated.
He acknowledged, however, that some drivers continued to flout traffic rules despite repeated arrests, describing them as “recalcitrant offenders”.
“We have not relented in advocacy, especially towards commercial drivers and commuters, to discourage entering overloaded vehicles,” he added.
On measures to curb the practice, he emphasised that enforcement remained the primary strategy, supported by public enlightenment campaigns.
Ogungbemide called on commuters to assist by refusing to board overloaded vehicles.
“We’ve been doing this for 37 years, but unfortunately, some drivers are still bent on violating traffic safety rules. So, we are enforcing more and engaging the public directly. We also believe that if there’s no market for these drivers, it won’t be enticing for them. But when passengers are available, they take advantage and overload,” he said.
He further disclosed that the Corps had issued special directives to units, particularly in the northern regions, to clamp down on “mixed loading”: the practice of transporting passengers alongside goods and animals in the same vehicle.
As the travel season approaches, Ogungbemide assured that the FRSC had heightened its surveillance and public engagement to promote safe journeys for all road users.
(NAN)