The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has arrested about 1,691 persons for overloading, mixed loading, and the use of fake diplomatic number plates within the last five days.

The corps public education officer, Osundu Ohaeri, who revealed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja, also said that the arrests were made through the special intervention of an operation code-named “Operation Guduma”.

According to Mr Ohaeri, the arrests were made in a sweeping nationwide enforcement offensive that reinforces the FRSC’s zero-tolerance stance on road safety violations and security threats under the leadership of the corps marshal, Shehu Mohammed.

Mr Ohaeri said the operation was executed simultaneously across critical transport corridors in eleven states.

“The operation targeted dangerous practices such as overloading, mix-loading, fake diplomatic number plates and other fraudulent vehicle identification violations that continue to threaten lives and compromise security across the country.

“The operation yielded remarkable results, with 683 persons arrested for overloading and mix-loading, 1,003 for number plate-related offences, and five persons apprehended for using fake diplomatic number plates,” he said.

He noted that beyond the figures lay a disturbing, growing culture of impunity among road users who exploited illegal vehicle identities and flagrantly disregarded safety regulations.

He said that the discoveries made during the operation further exposed the widespread abuse of unauthorised association number plates and other deceptive registration schemes designed to evade lawful scrutiny.

He quoted the corps marshal, Shehu Mohammed, as saying that the operation had exposed critical vulnerabilities that could fuel road traffic crashes, facilitate criminal activities, and undermine public trust in vehicle identification systems.

Mr Mohammed emphasised that the misuse of diplomatic number plates and persistent loading violations represented not merely traffic offences but direct threats to public safety and national security.

He said that the corps would continue to deploy intelligence-led enforcement strategies to dismantle such practices wherever they exist.

He also said that the operation had uncovered numerous vehicles operating with dangerously unlatched containers and overloaded cargoes; conditions he said significantly increase the likelihood of catastrophic crashes, fatalities and economic losses.

The corps marshal emphasised that the FRSC would maintain its zero-tolerance approach towards violators, stressing that road safety was non-negotiable.

“Every preventable crash avoided translates into lives saved, families protected, and national productivity preserved,” he said.

He added that with the success of Operation Guduma, the FRSC would commence plans to institutionalise the intervention across major corridors nationwide.

Mr Mohammed assured that the FRSC would strengthen collaboration with security and law enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders were not only apprehended but also prosecuted.

(NAN)