Nigeria: FRSC Mobile Court Convicts 104 Traffic Offenders, Impounds 258 Vehicles In Anambra

FRSC Assistant Corps Marshal, Mr Nseobong Akpabio flanked left by Chief Obi Okli MD/CEO of Ekwulobia Urban Mass Transit and the state new commandant Ajayi Sunday during a sensitization workshop and tests for Urban Mass drivers at Ekwulobia, Aguata local government area  

Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, mobile court in Anambra state has convicted over 104 road traffic offenders  and impounded over 258 Vehicles in the last two months.

This Odogwu Media reports came as over 250 motorists were enlightened during a special inter-state patrol and enlightenment exercise within Ozubulu-Okaji-Ihiala-Mgbidi-Njaba axis of Onitsha-Owerri road.

The traffic offenders, mostly commercial bus drivers plying routes between Anambra and Imo states, were convicted for offences ranging from use of worn-out tyres, driving without seat belts, non- availability of caution signs, overloading, lack of passengers' manifest to lack of fire extinguisher, among other offences.

Addressing the press on the exercise, FRSC Sector Commander in Imo State, Mr. Yusuff Kolawole, said the inter-state patrol involved officers and men from Ihiala unit command in Anambra and Njaba unit command in Imo State.

He said: "The exercise was to enlighten the motorists against negligence, lack of lane discipline and over-speeding, especially as the Yuletide approaches, which would bring a lot of traffic to Onitsha-Owerri road corridor.

"The importance of this activity is the fact that we have already entered the Ember months and people have a wrong belief that when the Ember months come people must die.

"They believe that maybe there is a demon on the road that is killing people. Bt we in road safety business and its establishment believe that there is no demon or blood-sucking demon on the road, killing the people.

"It is just negligence of traffic rules, carelessness and recklessness of the road users.

"The problem is that in Ember months there is an increase in vehicular and human traffic on the road."

Meanwhile,  the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has revealed that the commission has convicted 101 traffic offenders and impounded 258 vehicles within a week along the Benin-Asaba-Onitsha road axis.

The FRSC Assistant Corps Marshal, Mr Nseobong Akpabio, disclosed this in Onitsha, Anambra State while speaking at the end of Operation Shield IV Special Patrol along Benin-Asaba-Onitsha Bridge-Head axis.

Akpabio, however noted that the traffic offenders were convicted by FRSC Mobile Court for offences, which included overloading, reckless driving, lane violation, none compliance on seatbelt, excessive passengers, excessive emission of carbon-monoxide among others.

He said that in line with the FRSC strategic goal to reduce Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) by 15 per cent and fatality by 25 per cent by the end of the year 2014, the commission put in place ‘’Operation Shield IV’’ with specific focus to tackle the causal factors.

Akpabio, who is the FRSC Zonal commander in-charge of Edo, Delta and Anambra States, said that the operations focused on lane violation, overloading and speed violation.


``In carrying out the exercise, “Operation Shield IV”, commenced from Monday 25 to Friday 29 August 2014 along Benin – Asaba Expressway down to Onitsha Bridge-Head, FRSC operatives (both Regular and Special Marshals) were deployed along this ever busy route throughout the period of the exercise.


``All ambulances and recovery vehicles from Benin, Agbor, Issele Uku and Asaba were deployed strategically.


``At the end of the five days exercise, a total of 355 traffic offenders were apprehended for violating 440 traffic offences and 258 vehicles were impounded within the period of the operations.


``20 overloading violations, two lane violations among others were booked as focus offences during the period. A total103 traffic offenders were arraigned before the court of law and 101 were convicted, while two offenders were discharged and acquitted,’’he said.