Nigeria’s road safety force in the capital has rounded up more than 27,000 drivers for ignoring traffic laws over the last three months from July to September. Most catches came from common slip-ups like cramming too many passengers, going the wrong way, fiddling with phones at the wheel, jumping red lights, and other risky moves that put everyone in danger.
The team held a public chat on Thursday to drum up safer habits as more cars hit the roads near year’s end. The talk, aimed at transport bosses and drivers, focused on ditching distractions behind the wheel and owning up to personal safety duties.
The local head, Mr Felix Theman, told the crowd the message hits home right now, since keeping roads clear starts with each person but needs everyone’s help. In his five months on the job, he has looked at crash patterns in the city, pinned down the main triggers, and stepped up checks to stop law-breakers from getting away with it.
Mr Theman stressed that talks and awareness drives work hand in hand with busts to build better road sense. The group has roped in bus unions and others to spread the word nationwide, but he admitted there’s still work to do and asked for full support from all who use the roads. He pushed for ongoing chats, training sessions, and close watch on drivers to meet safety rules.
On top of that, the team kicked off a fresh crackdown on October 2 to ease overcrowding in work vehicles and bring back proper checks on roadworthiness. Just in the first two days, more than 250 taxi drivers got picked up for letting two people squeeze into the front seat, against design limits meant for one. That brings the early tally for such breaches to over 250.
