Eid-el-Kabir: FRSC deploys over 30,000 personnel for nationwide special patrol

Court Dismisses ₦950m Suit Against Corps, Upholds Personnel Conduct

By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has commenced nationwide special patrol operations ahead of the 2026 Eid-el-Kabir celebrations with the deployment of more than 30,000 personnel, including regular officers and special marshals, to ensure safer roads and smooth movement of travelers across the country.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Corps Public Education Officer, Deputy Corps Commander Osondu Ohaeri, said the special operations began on May 25 and would continue until May 31, 2026.

According to him, the annual intervention is aimed at reducing road crashes, traffic congestion, fatalities, and other highway emergencies usually associated with increased vehicular movement during festive periods.

He explained that the operations would focus on ensuring free flow of traffic, management of identified black spots, quick emergency response, prompt clearance of obstructions, and strict enforcement of traffic regulations on major highways nationwide.

The FRSC disclosed that patrol vehicles, ambulances, tow trucks, motorcycles, radar guns, breathalysers, and other operational equipment had already been deployed to strategic locations across the federation.

The statement added that all Zonal Commanding Officers, Sector Commanders, and Unit Commanders had been directed to sustain aggressive visibility patrols and ensure full operational coverage throughout the exercise.

The Corps said enforcement would target offences such as excessive speeding, dangerous driving, wrongful overtaking, overloading, lane indiscipline, use of mobile phones while driving, operation of mechanically deficient vehicles, expired tyres, and passenger manifest violations.

It further disclosed that mobile courts would operate nationwide during the period to facilitate speedy prosecution of traffic offenders, while emergency rescue teams had been placed on maximum alert.

According to the FRSC, patrol operations would run on a shift basis to guarantee 24-hour monitoring of major highways, with night rescue teams stationed at designated operational commands nationwide.

Some of the major corridors listed for intensive patrol include the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor, Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi route, Kaduna-Saminaka-Jos highway, Ibadan-Ogere-Sagamu road, Sagamu-Mowe-Lagos expressway, Makurdi-Otukpo-9th Mile corridor, Asaba-Abraka-Ughelli-Warri axis, and the Okene-Ogori-Owo route.

The Corps also said it would continue collaborating with the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, military formations, and emergency medical service providers to strengthen traffic management and emergency response during the festive period.

The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, urged motorists to avoid excessive speed, dangerous overtaking, drunk driving, night travel, and overloading.

He also encouraged road users to cooperate with personnel deployed on highways and to make use of the FRSC emergency number 122 and National Traffic Radio 107.1FM to report emergencies.

Court Dismisses ₦950m Suit Against FRSC

Meanwhile, the FRSC also announced that a Federal High Court had dismissed a ₦950 million fundamental rights suit filed against the Corps and upheld the conduct of its personnel.

According to another statement issued on Tuesday, the suit, marked FHC/PH/FHR/447/2022, was instituted by Barrister Osita Nnadozie against the FRSC Sector Commander in Rivers State and eight others.

The Corps said the court ruled that the applicant failed to provide credible evidence proving any violation of his fundamental rights and subsequently dismissed the case for lack of merit.

The matter reportedly stemmed from an enforcement operation conducted on October 2, 2022, along the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road at Elele, where the applicant was intercepted for alleged seatbelt violation and failure to stop for lawful checks.

The FRSC stated that evidence presented before the court showed that the applicant allegedly accelerated toward an FRSC marshal during the operation, forcing the officer to jump into a nearby bush before the applicant was later apprehended and booked for traffic offences.

The court was also said to have considered allegations surrounding the applicant’s presence at the Isiokpo Unit Command premises after official working hours on October 5, 2022, where he was reportedly found taking photographs before being handed over to the police for identification and profiling.

According to the Corps, its legal team successfully demonstrated that the actions of personnel were lawful, professional, and guided by security and safety considerations.

The applicant had sought damages totaling ₦950,006,161.25 against the Corps and other respondents, but all claims were dismissed after the court reviewed submissions from the parties.

Reacting to the judgment, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed reaffirmed the FRSC’s commitment to professionalism, fairness, respect for human rights, and the safety of road users, while warning against attempts to obstruct lawful enforcement operations.

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