Traffic offenders in Abuja will now face mandatory medical and psychological evaluations in addition to prosecution as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) intensify joint enforcement of traffic regulations across the capital.

The new measure, which forms part of a coordinated operation involving the FCTA, FRSC and other security agencies, is aimed at tackling dangerous driving, reducing traffic congestion and strengthening public safety across the Federal Capital Territory.

Under the enforcement framework, motorists apprehended for specified traffic violations will bear the cost of the mandatory medical and psychological assessments before prosecution.

Disclosing this at a joint press briefing on Thursday at the FCT Command Conference Hall, the FCT FRSC Sector Commander, Corps Commander Tijjani Iliyasu, said the measure was backed by Regulation 176, Sub-regulation (5) of the amended National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012.

The enforcement operation will target major traffic violations, including overloading, disregard for traffic lights, driving against traffic, indiscriminate parking and other offences capable of endangering road users.

Iliyasu said the compulsory assessments were intended to go beyond punishment by addressing behavioural factors that could contribute to dangerous driving.

“This measure is intended to address dangerous driving behaviour, promote responsible road use, and protect lives and property,” he said.

He stressed that the enforcement was not intended to intimidate motorists but to ensure compliance with regulations designed to protect lives and property.

“It is not designed to harass or intimidate members of the public. Traffic regulations are established primarily to protect lives and property, and compliance is the responsibility of every road user,” he stated.

The Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Transport Secretariat, Chinedum Elechi, said the administration had been forced to intensify enforcement as some motorists increasingly disregarded traffic regulations despite ongoing investments in road infrastructure.

Elechi said the FCTA’s expansion and rehabilitation of roads across the capital were designed to improve movement, but improved infrastructure should not become an excuse for reckless driving.

“In response, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps and other relevant agencies, has intensified joint traffic enforcement patrols across the FCT,” he said.

He warned that motorists arrested during the ongoing operations would face sanctions under the National Road Traffic Regulations 2012 and the FCT Road Traffic Regulations 2023.

Beyond traffic management, the initiative is also being positioned as a security operation, with authorities linking certain traffic violations and unregulated transport activities to criminal activities in the capital.

Representing the Director of the FCT Security Services Department, Peter Olumuji said illegal motor parks, commercial transport operators, Okada riders and Keke NAPEP operators had become associated with security concerns, including “one-chance” robberies and other violent crimes.

He said the participation of security agencies was therefore necessary to ensure that enforcement operations were not undermined by resistance from offenders or criminal elements.

Olumuji said the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), among other security agencies, were providing operational support for the exercise.

He assured residents that enforcement would be conducted within the confines of the law, even as security agencies remained prepared to manage any resistance to the operations.

The joint patrols are expected to continue across the FCT as authorities seek to enforce traffic regulations, restore order on major roads and strengthen the link between effective traffic management and urban security. (The Sun)