The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) RS2 HQ yesterday Wednesday 26th November began a focused three-day Special Intervention Patrol along the Lagos-Ibadan and Sagamu-Ijebu ode corridors as the Agency ramps up sensitization and enforcement ahead of the busy Yuletide season.
The exercise which was personally led by the Zonal Commanding Officer of Zone RS2 HQ, Assistant Corps Marshal Ann O. Oladayo moved from Ojota to Otedola bridge to Berger to Ogunmakin through Shagamu, Ogere, Mowe/Ibafo and terminated at Ojota, where a mobile court was deployed to prosecute flagrant offenders.
This special patrol operation is a precursor to the nationwide “Operation Zero” enforcement which will be flagged off by the Corps Marshal of FRSC, Shehu Mohammed and will be intensified across the country in December.
Speaking on the special patrol operation, the Zone RS2 Commanding Officer, ACM Ann Oladayo described the patrol as deliberate and preventive: “This patrol is a precursor to December’s nationwide operation. It is a pre before the Operation Zero that we will carry out on a large scale in the nation in the FRSC. It is designed to sensitize motorists and ensure communities feel FRSC’s presence before intensified enforcement begins during the first week of December. We are trying to sensitize the public that towards the end of the year like this, we have a lot of vehicular movements on the road and as such there is a need for us to make sure that traffic laws and regulations of the highway are adhered to.”
The Berger–Lagos–Ibadan and Sagamu–Ijebu-Ode corridors that fall within the RS2 zone are among the heavily plied routes in the country, thus it requires utmost attention.
During the launch of the 3-day intervention patrol, Oladayo mapped the patrol coverage: Ogunmakin to Shagamu (about 50–60 km), Shagamu to Mowe/Ibafo (roughly 30–35 km), and Mowe/Ibafo to Ojota (20–25 km). The patrol sweep covered approximately 100–110 kilometres of the arterial highway. The three-day exercise is intended to clear obstructions, check vehicle fitness, curb speeding and clamp down on other behaviours that trigger crashes at year-end.
“Our aim is clear,” Oladayo told the newsmen. “Our strategic goal is to reduce fatalities by at least 10 per cent this year. That is why we are here. We want to ensure that we don’t have all these crashes on our highway. We do not want to be carrying dead bodies on our roads, especially at this time of the year.”
She said the bulk of crashes are preventable and attributed them to poor driving culture which includes impatience, noncompliance with traffic rules, drink-driving, overloading and mechanically faulty vehicles.
“We don’t want to associate this time of the year with tragedies, that people must die on the roads. That is not so. Many of these incidents are caused by simple disregard for road regulations it is a result of lack of adherence to laws and our attitude towards driving on the road,” she added.
During the exercise, the team from RS2 HQ combined enforcement tools such as mobile courts, radar guns for speed checks and patrols targeting improperly latched trailers and overloaded vehicles, with public sensitisation.
A mobile court at Ojota was put in place to fast-track prosecution of offenders. Oladayo urged motorists to adopt basic, lifesaving practices: inspect vehicles before departure; ensure tyres, brakes and lights are roadworthy; fasten seat belts; avoid alcohol before driving; observe speed limits; and stop overloading.
“Safety is everybody’s responsibility. Nobody has a monopoly on the use of the road,” she said, warning specifically about trailers with unsecured loads. “Any small crash involving an unlatched trailer can become a total disaster.”
This intervention spans both Lagos and Ogun states and represents a coordinated approach between state commands within RS2 HQ. The joint posture signals that FRSC will maintain heightened visibility ahead of and during the Yuletide season.
The patrol which will conclude on Friday is a warm-up for the comprehensive Operation Zero enforcement that the FRSC will mount in December.