Abuja motorists who ignore traffic lights, drive against traffic, or use restricted routes should expect tougher action starting this week.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration, working with the Federal Road Safety Corps and other security agencies, has begun a sustained enforcement operation across the FCT to check rising road offences.
Mandate Secretary for Transportation, Mr. Chinedum Elechi, announced the move on Thursday during a joint press briefing in Abuja. He said a special taskforce will now patrol major roads to arrest offenders, who will face sanctions under both national and FCT traffic laws.
Elechi linked the crackdown to the FCT’s urban renewal programme under Minister Nyesom Wike. He noted that while new and expanded roads have improved movement, some drivers are taking advantage to flout rules.
The operation will focus on traffic light violations and disobeying other traffic control devices, route violations including driving against traffic and using unauthorized routes, illegal parking on major roads, at junctions, under bridges, and on pedestrian crossings, as well as excessive vehicle overloading.
The FCTA is partnering with the FCT Security Department, Traffic Control Department, and the FRSC FCT Sector Command for the exercise. Elechi called it the first major collaboration of its kind and said it aims to restore order to Abuja’s roads.
“Offenders will face the full weight of the law,” Elechi warned. He added that the enforcement is not to harass law-abiding drivers, but to ensure safer roads and smoother traffic flow.
In line with Regulation 176(5) of the amended National Road Traffic Regulations 2012, the FRSC said some offenders will undergo mandatory medical and psychological evaluation at an approved government hospital, at their own cost, before prosecution.
FCT Sector Commander of the FRSC, Corps Commander Tijjani Iliyasu, said the corps is particularly concerned about overloading, light violations, and wrong-way driving, which he said cause congestion and endanger lives.
“Our message is simple: obey traffic regulations, respect other road users, and make safety a personal responsibility,” Iliyasu said. He also urged drivers to use designated motor parks, bus stops, and approved loading points, and to obey directives from traffic personnel.
Officials said the joint patrols will continue at strategic locations across the FCT as part of broader efforts combining enforcement, public education, and engineering interventions.
“Always remember that time saved by risking a life is not worth it,” Iliyasu cautioned
