1,691 ARRESTS IN FIVE DAYS: FRSC’S OPERATION GUDUMA CRACKS DOWN ON OVERLOADING, MIX-LOADING AND FAKE DIPLOMATIC NUMBER PLATES

The Corps Marshal, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has disclosed a staggering record of 1,691 arrests within five days  through a special intervention operation codenamed Operation Guduma.

This was in a sweeping nationwide enforcement offensive that reinforces its zero-tolerance stance on road safety violations and security threats.

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 arrests for overloading and mix-loading, 1,003 arrests for number plate-related offences, and five suspects apprehended for using fake diplomatic number plates, according to a statement by Osondu Ohaeri, Deputy Corps Commander, Corps Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps.

Beyond the figures lies a disturbing reality: a growing culture of impunity among road users who exploit illegal vehicle identities and flagrantly disregard safety regulations.

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.

Describing the outcome as both revealing and alarming, the Corps Marshal noted that the operation has exposed critical vulnerabilities capable of fueling road traffic crashes, facilitating criminal activities and undermining public trust in vehicle identification systems.

He emphasised that the misuse of diplomatic number plates and persistent loading violations represent not merely traffic offences but direct threats to public safety and national security. According to him, the Corps will continue to deploy intelligence-led enforcement strategies to dismantle such practices wherever they exist.

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

The Corps Marshal warned that FRSC will sustain its zero-tolerance approach towards violators, stressing that road safety cannot be negotiated and that every preventable crash avoided translates into lives saved, families protected and national productivity preserved.

Buoyed by the success of Operation Guduma, the FRSC has announced plans to institutionalise the intervention across major corridors nationwide while strengthening collaboration with security and law enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders are not only apprehended but prosecuted.