…intercepts 15 persons concealed under truck trampoline

THE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has reinforced its campaign against dangerous driving securing the imprisonment of an absconding driver in Abia State and intercepting a dangerously overloaded vehicle in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

 

This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the Corps Public Education Officer, Osondu Ohaeri.

 

A mobile court presided over by Magistrate C. E. Nwankpa sentenced the commercial driver, Azubuike Dominic, to one month in prison at the Afara Correctional Centre.

 

Dominic was initially apprehended for driving a Toyota Hiace without a valid driver’s licence but absconded and was reapprehended several kilometres away following a coordinated pursuit involving FRSC personnel and the military.

 

Similarly, in Nyanya, FCT, FRSC operatives intercepted a suspicious Mitsubishi Canter truck and upon inspection, marshals discovered 15 persons and eight motorcycles dangerously concealed among goods in the sealed trampoline, violating safety regulations.

 

The driver, Umar Muhammadu, could not produce a valid licence and allegedly attempted to bribe an operative with N500.

 

He and the vehicle’s occupants were subsequently handed over to the Mararaba Divisional Police Officer for further investigation.

 

Ohaeri noted that the twin operations demonstrate the agency’s shift towards intelligence driven enforcement and inter-agency collaboration.

 

He noted that “The Corps views these incidents as compelling evidence that its enforcement architecture is moving beyond routine interception to intelligence led, evidence based and technology conscious road safety enforcement where professional observation and adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are deployed to uncover concealed violations and protect lives.”

 

The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed has also charged personnel to remain uncompromising in their statutory duties, the statement added.

 

He warned commercial operators against evading lawful arrest, overloading, and bribery.

 

Stressing the agency’s commitment to protecting road users, Mohammed declared that “on the road to a safer Nigeria, there will be no hiding place for reckless and dangerous driving.”