The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has warned commercial motorists in Gwagwalada Area Council of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to stop overloading their vehicles for safety reasons.
Mr Sunday Attah, the FRSC Gwagwalada Unit Commander, gave the warning on Tuesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He noted that commercial motorists plying Airport road down to Gwagwalada, Zuba, Kwali and Abaji were the worst culprits of overloading their vehicles with passengers and goods, saying this is very dangerous.
According to Attah, some drivers are also driving dangerously, thus risking lives and property.
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The FRSC unit commander however said erring drivers were being arrested and fined various sums, like N76,000, for different traffic offences.
“Once we have your vehicle number plate, we pick you no matter how long it takes. Then, we will remind you of your offence.
“The truth is that you have to be alive to do the job. Some of the drivers will want to run on us whenever we stop them, but we usually apprehend them,’’ he said.
Attah decried carrying two passengers in the front seat of a vehicle meant to take one person, warning that the commission will continue to apprehend and punish drivers breaking traffic rules.
He also advised commuters to avoid entering overloaded vehicles.
Mr Obiora Emeka, a commercial driver in the FCT, some of his colleagues overloaded their vehicles in order to make ends meet.
Emeka added that the defaulting drivers believe that they would not be able to fend for their families and repair their cars if it spoils if they don’t overload.
Mr Abdullahi Abubakar, another taxi driver, however said he did not see the issue of overloading as a problem if drivers carry more than required passengers in their vehicles.
“We have been carrying two passengers at the front passenger’s seat of a Golf car and nothing has happened. I don’t see anything wrong with that,” he said.
Mr Okolo Emmanuel, a commuter, regretted that passengers most of the times were contributors to the problem.
He said: “If all commuters will agree not to sit two or more at the passenger’s front seat of smaller vehicles, the drivers will be forced to carry one.”
Ms Esther Abel, another commuter, said “when one is in a hurry, we patronise such drivers, knowing that it is not the right thing to do”.
