The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has arrested 5,000 persons for violation of traffic rules while 2,000 others have been sent to government facilities for psychological evaluation since it began its Cobra Operations nationwide.

The Corps Marshall, Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed this on Monday while speaking with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Oyeyemi said five key issues involved in the Cobra Operations were using phone while driving, jumping the traffic lights, route violation, overloading and over speeding.

He said the major challenge the corps was facing at present was drivers of private vehicles who do not respect traffic rules.

“You can see the problem that most of the people we are arresting on this violation and being sent to government facilities for psychological evaluation are more of private vehicle owners,” Oyeyemi said.

He explained that there has been some gradual improvement in enforcement and compliance nationwide.

According to him, there has been a decline in the number of road crashes involving commercial vehicles since the commencement of the use of speed-limiting device.

He said: “If you observed of recent, the crashes involving trailers and tankers have dropped.  With that there is a decline in crashes involving commercial vehicles.”

He said the FRSC has deployed a special squad of 10 bikes and five patrol vehicles to work round the clock in Abuja where violation of traffic rules is highest at present.

Oyeyemi said the corps was ready for increased traffic during the celebrations of the Eid el Kabir festival coming up early next month and the ember months that precede Christmas and New Year.

He said: “We are ready for the ember months; that is why had a strategy meeting last Monday to review our strategies and plan for ember months and once we plan for ember, Sallah is already a given.  We did well during the last Salah festival and I think in the next two weeks we are deploying more vehicles to remove broken down vehicles.”

The corps marshal said though all roads are prone to accidents, there are some where accidents occur more frequently.

He said: “All roads are prone to crashes but again you pick some like the areas where we are having problems.”

Oyeyemi announced that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo would be the Special Guest of Honour of the FRSC’s Seventh International Annual Lecture Series.

He said he was at the Presidential Villa to update the Presidency on the preparations for the lecture.