Operation Scorpion II: FRSC impounds 30 articulated vehicles in Oyo

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Oyo State on Wednesday said it had impounded 30 articulated vehicles for transporting unlatched containers within three days of the commencement of “Operation Scorpion II” in the state.

Our correspondent reports that the command had on Monday launched “Operation Scorpion II” in the state to intercept trucks transporting unlatched containers and prosecute the drivers.

The FRSC Sector Commander in Oyo State, Mrs Chukwurah Uche, said 30 offenders had so far been arrested for transporting unlatched containers.

She said 32 others were arrested for sundry offences bordering on overloading, use of worn out tyres and driver’s licence violation.

Uche added that 19 of the offenders had been taken to a mobile court which started sitting on Wednesday while others had been fined accordingly.

“We did not have a mobile court on Monday and Tuesday due to the busy schedule of the Magistrate.

“The court, however, sat today (Wednesday), so by the end of the court’s sitting, we will know how many convicts and discharged cases we have.

“So far, 19 offenders have been brought before the mobile court,” she said.

The sector commander, who disclosed that drivers of articulated vehicles had been sensitised on how to properly latch their containers, maintained that many had remained recalcitrant.

“What you see in a situation when a crash occurs is the container falling while the vehicle sometimes still remain standing; this means they are doing it intentionally.

“What we want is for them to latche properly to prevent the container from failling,” she said.

Speaking on the installation of speed limiting device, Uche said that the enforcement of the device was still ongoing.

She said that transporters were complying with the directive on installation of the device, adding that the command had been visiting fleet operators to monitor installation as well as penalise those not complying.

One of the offenders arraigned at the mobile court, Alao Nurudeen, said that he was arrested for not latching his articulated vehicle.

Nurudeen, who said the mobile court fined him N50,000, promised to properly latche his vehicle in future so as not to run foul of the law again.