FRSC Arrests Driver After 15 Passengers, 8 Motorcycles Found Hidden Under Truck Cover

By Adebola Muili

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has arrested a truck driver after 15 passengers and eight motorcycles were discovered concealed under the trampoline covering of a Mitsubishi Canter truck in Nyanya, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Corps disclosed the development on Saturday, saying the incident occurred during an enforcement operation in Nyanya, where its operatives intercepted the truck after becoming suspicious of the manner in which it was covered.

The vehicle, with registration number GDD 815 ZP, was found carrying the passengers and motorcycles concealed beneath the covering, alongside other goods being transported.

The FRSC Public Education Officer, Osondu Ohaeri, disclosed this in a statement, describing the practice as dangerous and capable of putting the lives of the passengers and other road users at risk.

The driver, identified as Umar Muhammadu, was also arrested after allegedly attempting to induce an FRSC marshal with N500.

He was reportedly unable to produce a valid driver’s licence.

The truck, its occupants and the items recovered from it were subsequently handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, Mararaba, CSP M. Daniel, for further investigation and prosecution.

The action followed the directive of the FRSC Sector Commander, RS7.1 FCT, CC Tijjani Iliyasu.

In a separate enforcement operation in Abia State, an FRSC Mobile Court sentenced a commercial driver, Azubuike Dominic, to one month imprisonment for driving without a valid driver’s licence and absconding with an FRSC marshal who was escorting him to court.

Dominic, who was driving a Toyota Hiace commercial vehicle marked GWB 298 XY, reportedly escaped with the marshal but was later apprehended following a coordinated pursuit involving FRSC personnel and the military.

He was subsequently arraigned before the FRSC Mobile Court presided over by His Worship C. E. Nwankpa, which sentenced him to one month at the Afara Correctional Centre.

The FRSC said the enforcement actions underscored its determination to clamp down on dangerous driving practices and other violations capable of endangering lives on Nigerian roads.

The Corps warned motorists, particularly commercial vehicle operators, against carrying passengers in unsafe conditions, overloading, driving without valid licences and attempting to bribe enforcement personnel.

It urged road users to comply with traffic regulations, stressing that offenders would be made to face the consequences of their actions.