- The FRSC has formed an inter-agency task force to enforce the ban on overloading trailers on the Kaduna-Abuja highway
- Despite public enlightenment campaigns, accidents involving overloaded trailers persist, prompting the FRSC to take decisive action to enhance safety
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has initiated an inter-agency task force to enforce the ban on overloading trailers along the Kaduna-Abuja highway. This move comes in response to the increasing number of road accidents involving overloaded trailers carrying goods, animals, and passengers.
According to the commission, the Kaduna-Abuja highway has become difficult for motorists due to avoidable crashes involving overloaded trailers. Despite extensive public enlightenment campaigns by the Corps across the country, the highways continue to witness tragic accidents resulting in loss of lives and property.
Dauda Ali Biu, represented by Assistant Corps Marshal Zubairu Mato, expressed concerns during the official launch of the Inter-agency Task Force. He emphasized that the Kaduna-Abuja highway, a vital route for commerce, has become a death trap for motorists. The crashes not only claim lives but also devastate families and communities.
Establishing the Task Force is crucial in addressing the alarming rise in major highway traffic accidents. It aims to ensure compliance with traffic regulations and enhance safety for all road users.
“May I state at this point that the Kaduna-Abuja highway is a bustling artery connecting many states to the southern part of Nigeria for commerce, which is becoming a death trap to motorists due to crashes involving trailers carrying goods, animals, and passengers.”
“This tragedy, when it occurs, usually results in a quantum loss of lives and properties in a single crash beyond imagination. The crash does not only claim lives but leaves behind shattered families with dashed hopes and dreams, as well as traumatizing sympathizers that witnessed it,” he said.
Kabiru Yusuf Nadabo, the Kaduna Sector Commander, highlighted the urgency of the task force’s intervention, particularly in reducing fatal accidents along the Kaduna-Abuja highway. The collaboration with various agencies, including the Police, Civil Defence, DSS, and KASTLEA, underscores the commitment to prioritizing passenger safety over revenue generation.
Members of the task force are tasked with maintaining civility and focusing on overloaded articulated vehicles carrying goods, animals, and passengers. Their collective efforts aim to curb overloading and prevent further tragedies on the Kaduna-Abuja highway.