COVID-19 Pandemic: FRSC Arrests 144 For Overloading Of Passengers

Pursuant to the need to mitigate the spread of corona virus
amongst passengers, the Federal Road Safety Corps has arrested a total of 144
offenders for overloading of vehicles in persons, ordered all categories of
transporters to ensure full compliance with the provisions of Regulation 108
(1) of the National Road Traffic Regulation 2012 on compulsory passenger
manifest; and directed all public transport operators to imbibe necessary
precautionary measures in their parks and terminals as failure to adhere
strictly to this order will attract the necessary sanctions.

In a statement issued by the Corps Public Education Officer,
Bisi Kazeem, he said that the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi who gave the
order stated that the Corps observed that despite the palpable spread of the
virus, public transport operators continued to board passengers to full
capacity without consideration to social distancing, passenger manifest and
seat spacing of passengers. This unhealthy behaviour if not put to check on
time, has the potentials to fuel the spread of the virus.

He emphatically noted that all passengers travelling; not
only during the epidemic regime but at all times, have the statutory obligation
to write down their full information in the passenger manifest before
commencement of the trip. He noted that putting down details of passengers on a
manifest is a mandatory and acceptable practice all over the world, that the
document contains basic information including contacts of next of kin of all
the passengers travelling in the vehicle for ease of identification and contact
in the case of any eventuality.

The emphasis on the need for compulsory adherence to the
NRTR 2012 provision is to make sure that details of all passengers conveyed in
each vehicle are adequately collected so as to arrest further spread of the
virus per chance any of the passengers is tested positive even after the trip.
He warned passengers to comply by filling the passenger manifest before their
journey commences as any transporter who violates this order will be made to
face the wrath of the law when apprehended.

On overloading, the Corps Public Education Officer stated
that the figures of the arrests was drawn from 16 states with the highest
number of arrests recorded in the Federal Capital Territory where a total of 52
overloaded vehicles were impounded while Lagos State followed suite with a
total of 17 arrests.

He gave the list of states where more than 5 arrests were
made as Plateau 14, Delta 13, Benue 9, Adamawa 6, and Katsina with a total of 6
arrests. While Nasarawa and Ogun State recorded 5 arrests each, Niger and Kwara
recorded 4 each, Osun 3, Rivers and Akwa Ibom had 2 each with Zamfara and Enugu
recording the lowest arrest of 1 per state.

You would recall that in the earlier caution on overloading
of vehicles issued by the Corps, the spokesperson noted that the essence is to
maintain social distance amongst passengers in vehicles as a panacea to
mitigating the spread of the deadly virus.

To this end, Kazeem said that the Corps Marshal, has ordered
all pubic transporters to ensure full compliance with the following key
precautionary measures amidst the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. The directives
read as follows:

All public transport operators to sanitise their
parks/terminals regularly (at least before and after each trip) with emphasis
on objects and areas that people frequently come in contact with such as rails,
grab handles and seats;

Provide hand washing points with running water, hand wash
equipments, detergent and alcohol based sanitiser;

Maintain reasonable social distancing on seating
arrangements for waiting passengers in their parks and terminals;

Provide temperature readers and test all passengers before
boarding and alcohol based sanitisers in their vehicles for the use of all
occupants including drivers and conductors.

Other directives are as follows;

All public transport operators are to clean surfaces and
things people mostly come in contact with such as-vehicle door handles, key
fob, steering wheel, dashboard, door buttons, seatbelts, gear shifters, touch
screen, etc before and after each trip;

Passengers must sanitise themselves before boarding and all
drivers and conductors to wear hand gloves and nose masks while on transit.

Oyeyemi also directed that no passenger should be allowed to
stand in all mass transit buses as well as no use of air conditioning system in
all public transport vehicles.

All public transport operators must strictly observe
adequate spacing of passengers as crowding or overloading of vehicles will not
be tolerated.

While encouraging all passengers to maintain a clean and
healthy habit by washing their hands with soap before and after each trip, the
Corps Marshal called on road users to report any public transport operator that
fails to comply with any of these guidelines to the Federal Road Safety Corps
Command nearest to them, or call the following numbers: 0800CALLFRSC or Toll
free number 122 or National Traffic Radio live lines 09067000015, 08052998090.

Clearly stating the name of the Operator, location of park/
terminal, vehicle registration number (as applicable), date and time.

Accordingly, he reassured motorists that the Federal Road
Safety Corps believes that Nigeria will definitely overcome this trying period
soonest, especially when we come together as a single force to adhere to the
basic health and safety rules as postulated by relevant health authorities.