The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FRSC

  • 955 persons charged to FRSC mobile courts

    The Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ) said no fewer than 955 persons were arraigned in its mobile courts for various offences across the country in 2018.

    Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, on Monday.

    Kazeem said that the corps had over 201 courts nationwide and that it was part of its “Operation Zero Tolerance for Road Traffic Crashes” campaign.

    “In 2018, in the operation zero tolerance period, a total of 955 offenders were arraigned as against 442 in the same period in 2017.

    “Out of the arraigned offenders, nine were sentenced to prison while 89 were discharged and acquitted during the period in 2018,” he said.

    He also said that in December, 2018, 350 offenders were referred to government established medical facilities for Emotional Stability Test.

    “The prevalent offences that were committed by the offenders are route violation, dangerous driving, light sign violation and use of phone while driving.”

    Kazeem said that the number of road traffic crashes recorded in 2018 was 8, 221, involving a total of 60,050 people.

    He added that the corps had put in place proactive measures, including inauguration of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Safety of Haulage Operations in Nigeria, to reduce crashes in the country.

    “The committee comprises of critical stakeholders in the transport sector like NARTO, NURTW, RTEAN, NUPENG PTD, traffic agencies among others.”

    The spokesman said that the committee was saddled with the mandate of curbing crashes involving tankers and other articulated vehicles on the highways.

    “Suffice to state that the establishment of the Operation Cobra team by the Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, is also a step in the right direction.”

  • FRSC decries activities of smugglers in Ogun

    Idi-roko Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, has decried the activities of smugglers, which it described as a major challenge confronting its operations in 2018.

    Mr Olugbenga Farinloye, the Idi-roko Unit Commander of FRSC, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ota, Ogun, on Monday.

    Farinloye said that most of the smugglers used motorcycles as means of transporting rice and sometimes rammed into other articulated vehicles from the opposite side in the process of avoiding FRSC officials.

    ”In any attempt for any enforcement agencies to try to arrest the smugglers along the Idi-roko axis had resulted to fatal accident that led to loss of lives and property,” he said.

    The unit commander said that the smugglers cultivated the habit of using unregistered plate number on their vehicles which made it difficult to identify when crime was committed.

    He said that the FRSC found it difficult to address the problem alone without the other relevant agencies because the corps was not armed.

    Read Also: FRSC recruits 4,650 personnel, begins training nationwide

    Farinloye alleged that some of the enforcement agencies along the Idi-roko axis could not arrest the hoodlums due to reason best known to them.

    He further said that he had visited all the relevant enforcement agencies like the police, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Department of State Services (DSS) but all proved abortive.

    Farinloye called on all relevant agencies to come together as a special patrol to form a task force to stem the menace of smugglers.

    ”There is a way we can collaborate to work as a team with all relevant agencies in tackling the activities of smugglers,” he said.

    He also said that FRSC had visited many places like Churches, Mosques, market places and paramount rulers, to sensitise them on why safety consciousness on the roads was a collective responsibility of everyone.

  • Second hand tyres are like time bomb – FRSC

    The Itori Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, has advised motorists to desist from buying second-hand tyres known as ‘Tokunbo’ tyres to avert unnecessary crashes traced to tyre burst.

    Mr Aliyu Yahaya, the Itori Unit Commander of corps, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Ota, Ogun.

    According to him, tokunbo tyres are just like time bomb ready to explode and caused mishap that sometimes lead to loss of lives and property.

    He noted that most of the manufacturers of those tyres did not consider the nature of African weather.

    Read Also: Osun: Court rejects suit seeking to sack Oyetola

    ‘’Most of the crashes that resulted to loss of lives and property across the country could be traced to tyre burst,” he said.

    The commander, however, implored motorists to desist from patronising second-hand tyres, adding that if they must patronise them, they should look at the expiry date of those tyres before purchasing them.

    He is confident that if motorists take preventive measures, especially desisting from patronising second-hand tyres, it will go a long way in reducing the rate of road crashes in the country.

  • Nasarawa: 221 killed, 1,785 injured in 546 road accidents

    Two hundred and twenty-one persons were killed in 546 road accidents in Nasarawa State in 2018, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

    Mrs. Faustina Alegbe, the State Commander, told the News Agency of Nigeria, on Thursday in Lafia that 3,296 persons were involved in the crashes that left 1,785 badly injured.

    Alegbe said that 106 accidents were fatal, 423 considered critical, while 17 cases were recorded as minor.

    “Sadly, the highest number of cases were recorded in December, while the least number of accidents were recorded in May,” she said.

    She attributed the high figure recorded in December to the festive period when many people tended to want to travel from one place to another.

    On measures to curb the number of road crashes in 2019, Alegbe explained that the FRSC was planning to improve on corps visibility on the highways across the state and also ensure effective measures to reduce response time.

    “We will also intensify campaign on proper road use. Most of these campaigns will be done in motor parks where we will engage commercial drivers and passengers on the right steps to take before embarking on a journey.

    “We will also strengthen our collaboration with stakeholders and sister agencies and establishments, and be more strict over the issuance of driver’s licence.

    “Our goal is not to make life difficult for Nigerian drivers, but to drill in them the importance of adhering to rules guiding driving on the highway so as to reduce accidents to the barest minimum,” she said.

    Alegbe, who appealed to road unions to conduct constant medical check for their members, also revealed that the FRSC, in 2019, would visit parks every month, to check the medical status of drivers.

    “We have had cases of drivers sleeping on the job. Some have even collapsed while driving. So, we have asked the unions to take a closer interest in the medical history of their members.

    “We will also be visiting the parks with our medical personnel to check the drivers. We will be pushing harder for safety this year,” she declared.

  • Trailer crushes expectant mother to death in Ibadan

    An expectant mother was crushed to death by a trailer in Molete area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Wednesday.

    The tragedy occurred at about 9:52 am under Molete flyover.

    The deceased, along with two men, obviously miscalculated while crossing the road. They tried to beat the oncoming trailer but the pregnant woman fell near the road culvert where the trailer crushed her to immediate death. The two men were lucky to escape being hit.

    The corpse of the accident victim, whose identity was still unknown as at press time, was taken to the morgue of the State Specialist Hospital, Adeoyo by men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

    Read Also: Ten year old boy dies in Kano well

    When contacted, the spokesman of the FRSC in Oyo State, Mr Seun Onijala, confirmed the incident. He said FRSC men quickly moved to the area and immediately cleared traffic obstruction while also depositing the corpse at the morgue.

    Onijala, who is a Deputy Route Commander, said the articulated vehicle is a red colour DAF 85 without a plate number.

    The driver was said to have been detained by police.

    Pice spokesman, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, was not available for comments as at press time.

  • 18 die in Osun auto crashes

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Osun on Wednesday said 18 persons died in various road accidents in December 2018.

    The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mr Peter Oke, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo that the accidents were caused by over speeding, wrongful overtaking and carelessness of many drivers.

    ‘‘ The total numbers of Road Traffic Accidents for the month of December 2018 was 28 which led to the death of 18 persons.

    ‘‘The remaining 10 persons sustained various degrees of injuries in the accidents within the state,’’ he said.

    He also stated that 773 road traffic offenders were apprehended while 268 were educated and cautioned on the sensitivity of road driving.

    Read Also: NSCDC recovers N31.5m debts in Jigawa in 2018

    The sector commander further said that no fewer than 906 persons were issued with driver’s licence in the month under review.

    He added that the command executed 12 radio and eight television programmes to educate and enlighten the public on the dangers associated with dangerous driving.

    Oke urged motorists to desist from defying road traffic regulations, adding that the command would not spare any person caught flouting the law.

  • FRSC targets to make highways more safer in 2019

    The Ogun Command of Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC ) on Thursday said its target for 2019 was to make highways in the state, the safest in the country.

    Mr Clement Oladele, the Ogun Sector Commander of FRSC told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ota.

    According to him, the command would work with drivers to ensure compliance to all road traffic rules and regulations, as doing so would drastically cut down crashes on the roads.

    “The FRSC also hope to see motorists maintaining their vehicles before putting them on road and show compassion to other road users to ensure sanity on the roads,” he said.

    Read Also: Kano Assembly investigates Foreign Dominance in Markets

    Oladele noted that the Federal Government was trying its best to ensure that highways across the country are safer for motorists, and urged drivers to also comply with traffic rules.

    The sector commander said the corps would also intensify efforts in ensuring that commercial drivers yet to fix the speed limit device do so, before its enforcement on private vehicles.

    “The importance of speed limit devices cannot be overemphasized because it checks the excesses of drivers and reduce crashes.”

  • Three die in Edo multiple accident

    Three persons have been confirmed dead in a multiple accident that occurred at Ewu hill along the Benin-Auchi-Abuja high way.
    The accident was said  to have occurred when a truck driver lost control and rammed into other vehicles.
    Witnesses said three persons died on the spot while 10 others sustained injuries.
    Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Anthony Okon, who confirmed the accident said it involved four trucks, three cars and one bus.
    He attributed cause of  the accident to break failure and loss of control
    “It was a multiple accident, 28 people were involved, three died, 10 injured while others remain unhurt.”
    Okon stated that officials of FRSC were at the scene of the accident on time to carry out rescue operation and ensure that the obstructions were cleared off the road.
    “The problem is that, that place needs to be dualized. Construction work is going on there, but at snail speed. If it is not dualized, it will continue to happen, just like what happened at Gwagwalada-Abaji-Lokoja in those days.”

  • Police, VIO, FRSC officials win award

    DIVISONAL Police Officer of Itele CSP Akanbi Olusegun; Ado/Odo Ota Divisional Commander of Vehicles Inspection Paul Kehinde Osukoya, and the Ota Unit  Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Adekunle Oguntoyinbo have won awards for good performance.

    The award was given to them by DAMA Media Concept, publisher of The Voice magazine. The ceremony was part of activities to mark the firm’s seventh anniversary.

    Also given awards were Ota NBA Chairman Isaac Ogbah; Atan Unit Commander of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) Commander Rinaye Tayo; Dean of Cathedral Church of St. James Ven. Nelson Adewole; and Director of Needles Network Prince Adeoye Abiodun.

    Others were Sango-Ota Vigilance Commander Odunbaku Tajudeen and Atan Community Development Committee Chairman Comrade Lekan Abatan.

    The one-week event started with donation of foods and domestic items to orphanage homes, and road signages to road traffic agencies.

    The event, tagged: “Role of Media towards a better Poll in 2019 Elections”, was attended by dignitaries including monarchs, political stalwarts, captains of industries and other security and safety agencies.

    Publisher of The Voice, Otunba Moses Oladele, said the management was convinced to honour the awardees for their vital roles to the development of Nigeria.

    He said: “We honoured these people because they have contributed greatly to the development of this country through job creation, youth empowerment, and philanthropy. They have also showed diligence, honesty and loyalty in their offices.

    “We selected them based on their commitment, God-fearing attitude, and integrity. It is noteworthy to celebrate those who have not soiled their hands or tarnished the image of our country, but rather added value to it.”

  • FRSC decries rice smuggling

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Badagry-Seme Command, says its officers and men are not aiding and abetting smugglers of rice as being speculated in some quarters.

    The Unit Commander, Mr. Fatai Bakare, who spoke at the weekend in Badagry, Lagos, said FRSC was determined to stop smuggling of rice at Seme border.

    He said: “Our operations begin at 6am and end by 6pm, except when we are on special patrol, which extends to 10pm. This special operation is restricted to the metropolis and not outside the metropolis because we are not armed. You don’t expect us to be in a secluded point when we are not armed. You don’t expect our officers to be in a secluded point around 1am when bad boys, armed to the teeth, move around.”

    Bakare said FRSC officials were not trained to arrest smugglers who usually moved at night in high speed with sophisticated weapons.

    “Smugglers are very reckless when they move, they are ready to kill. They are armed with assorted weapons such as swords, cutlasses, charms and at times guns.

    “How can you expect a non-armed organisation to arrest such people?”

    The unit commander urged the public to expose FRSC officers engaged in extortion of motorists