FRSC Tightens Traffic Enforcement in FCT

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says traffic offenders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will henceforth be subjected to medical and psychological evaluations as part of measures to improve road safety.

The Corps, in collaboration with the FCT Transportation Secretariat, is commencing a Joint Task Force operation to enforce the initiative across the six area councils, with particular attention to commercial drivers.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Abuja, the FCT Sector Commander of the FRSC, Corps Commander Tijani Iliyasu, said the measure became necessary because of the persistent disregard for traffic regulations by some motorists. He noted that such violations not only endanger lives and property but also affect the country’s image internationally.
Iliyasu cited Regulation 176, Sub-regulation (5) of the amended National Road Traffic Regulations 2012, which provides that persons suspected of committing applicable offences shall undergo medical and psychological evaluation at an approved government hospital before prosecution, at their own expense.
He said the Joint Task Force would also provide an opportunity for other security agencies to participate in the enforcement, adding that the initiative followed several engagements with transport unions aimed at sanitising the roads in the FCT.
The Sector Commander explained that the expansion of road infrastructure in the nation’s capital had increased the operational scope of the FRSC, making collaboration with other government agencies necessary to effectively address motorists’ excesses.
He stressed that the exercise was not designed to harass or intimidate residents but to promote responsible driving habits and safeguard lives and property on the roads.
Also speaking, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, said the FCT Administration supports initiatives aimed at restoring sanity to the territory’s roads.
Elechi said the enforcement would cover offences including illegal parking, route violations, overloading, operation of illegal motor parks, driving against traffic, drunk driving and other traffic-related violations.
On faulty traffic lights in some parts of the FCT, he disclosed that the contractor responsible for their maintenance had been instructed to repair the malfunctioning installations.
He also said adequate measures had been put in place to ensure smooth traffic flow around the Two Hundred Housing Interchange.
The representative of the FCT Security Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Elumiji, said steps had also been taken to regulate the operations of tricycles and motorcycles across the six area councils in the interest of security.
Elumiji pledged the support of the Control Centre for the initiative, saying it would contribute to protecting lives and property across the FCT.
Corps Commander Tijani Iliyasu and Mr Chinedum Elechi expressed confidence that the initiative would help curb poor transport practices and ensure that only mentally and physically fit motorists operate on roads within the Federal Capital Territory.