The Federal Road Safety Corps has launched an immediate nationwide operation to curb the transportation of petroleum and other inflammable substances in passenger vehicles.
The initiative, ordered by the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, aims to prevent fire-related accidents on Nigeria’s highways.
In a statement released on Friday, the FRSC Public Education Officer, Olusegun Ogungbemide, announced that the operation will involve a massive deployment of patrol teams to search for and address the presence of hazardous materials in passenger vehicles.
The FRSC will also conduct awareness campaigns to educate road users on the dangers of transporting inflammable substances.
The operation comes in response to recent fire-related road crashes, which investigations revealed were often caused by drivers carrying petroleum products.
“You would recall that pursuant to a number of fire related road crashes that occured on the nation’s highways in recent times, the corps marshal had ordered a thorough investigation with a view to unravel the main cause of the inferno.
“The investigation report revealed that drivers often carry petroleum products while on transit. As such, in the event of a crash, the impact often results in flames leading to heart wrecking fatalities that would have been avoided.
“In order to bring this to a halt, the corps marshal has also directed the Public Education Officers nationwide to complement the intervention patrol with aggressive sensitisation of road users,” Ogungbemide stated.
As part of the operation, drivers caught carrying such materials may face prosecution for compromising the safety of their passengers.
“The corps marshal also directed that unlike the conventional operations, in the course of this intervention patrol, drivers could be prosecuted for compromising the safety of their passengers.
“He further narrated that no excuse is acceptable for such dastardly act. It is to be a civil engagement that targets at ensuring that those products when sighted, are emptied into the fuel tank of the vehicles,” the statement added.
Mohammed called on passengers to prioritise their safety by reporting vehicles carrying inflammable substances to FRSC patrol teams or through emergency lines.
