The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, on Saturday ordered the field operatives of the corps to clampdown on overloaded private school vehicles plying Nigerian roads.

Oyeyemi gave the order in a statement by the Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem.

He said that the step was part of organised efforts to reduce crashes involving school children.

The corps marshal directed Sector Commanders across the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, to impound at sight, any private school bus carrying more than the required number of school children in the bus.

Oyeyemi noted that the operation would be carried out in the morning and afternoon when schools closed for the day.

According to him, the clampdown has become very necessary due to the deliberate disregard of school proprietors, their management and the bus drivers to law and order.

He said that most schools had continued to make mockery of established laws possibly to achieve some economic gains, at the detriment of the lives of the school children conveyed to and from school by those buses.

“We have tried to enlighten these drivers and the proprietors on many occasions to make them comply with the minimum safety standards on passengers’ carriage but they kept contravening the laws”.

“The Corps is championing child safety campaign as it targets to reduce and possibly eradicate all crashes involving school children on our roads,” Oyeyemi said.

The FRSC boss also directed retraining of all drivers of this category nationwide to further concretise the anticipated total safety of school children.

According to him, to help the Corps achieve success in this campaign, the public is encouraged to always tune into the National Traffic Radio 107.1FM to report any of such buses seen with overloaded school children.

Oyeyemi also urged the public to report any obstruction or emergency noticed on the road for immediate action.

He said that the station could also be reached through its social media handles such as WHATSAPP (08052997848), FACEBOOK (TRAFFICRADIO 1), TWITTER (@TRAFFICRADIO 1), INSTAGRAM (TRAFFICRADIO 1).

According to him, the public can also call 08052998090, 09067000015 or send SMS to 08052998012.

He reiterated the FRSC toll free emergency line, which is 122. (NAN)