FRSC deploys 35,000 operatives for Eid-el-Kabir

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC)  has deployed 35,000 operatives across the country to ensure road safety during the Eid-el-Kabir special patrol operations.

The FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed this while speaking at the flag-off of the 2021 Eid-el-Kabir special patrol mega rally in Ilorin on Thursday.

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Boboye said that the theme of the rally is: ‘Achieving Zero Road Fatality Through Public Enlightenment Campaign’.

He reiterated the vision of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (NRSS II) 2021-2030, where road traffic crash leads to no death.

He said festive seasons pose no threat to road safety, but attitudes and behaviours of road users who displayed recklessness during festivities, increased the burden of crashes and fatalities.

The corps marshal said that in June, a total of 1,162 Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) had led to the deaths of 567 persons in the country.

He said 56,456 road traffic offenders were arrested for 63,015 offences, while a total of 50 registered fleet operators and 529 registered driving schools were recorded in the same month.

The FRSC boss said that it was the practice of corps to improve on advocacy during festive seasons, to guide road users on the appropriate road conduct and enforce compliance to road traffic laws and regulations.

“This year Eid-el-Kabir special patrol operation will therefore focus on ensuring prompt responses to all RTC emergencies; and intensify enforcement of critical offences that pose serious threat to road safety.

“It will also ensure hitch-free traffic flows during the festive period and maintaining highly visible presence of corps on the highways to provide traffic support.

“To achieve this, the corps has deployed 20,000 regular marshals, 15,000 special marshals, making a total of 35,000 operatives across the country.

“All operational commands have been directed to strictly enforce the following offences: Overloading Violation (OVL) specifically 50% capacity loading in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.

“Others are enforcement of speed limit violation, driver’s license violation, lane discipline, driving with expired or worn-out tyre and without spare tyre, driving without seatbelt and driving without or with shattered windscreen,” he said. (NAN)