2025 Operation Zero Exercise: FRSC Corps Marshal Takes Zero-Tolerance War Against Road Carnage Nationwide, Leads On-the-Spot Monitoring in Kaduna By Raymond Enoch

In a sweeping nationwide crackdown aimed at eliminating road crashes and reckless driving during the peak end-of-year travel season, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, mni, has launched an uncompromising enforcement drive under the 2025 Operation Zero Exercise, ordering total deployment of personnel and assets across the Federation.

The high-impact operation, which commenced on 15 December 2025 and will run until 15 January 2026, signals the Corps’ determination to dominate Nigeria’s highways, enforce discipline, and safeguard lives. The Corps Marshal has directed all Commanding Officers to ensure 100 percent deployment of operatives, patrol teams, ambulances, and enforcement equipment, warning that negligence, compromise, or operational slack will not be tolerated.

Operation Zero Exercise is an intelligence-driven, round-the-clock special operation designed to deliver aggressive traffic law enforcement, strategic traffic management, rapid rescue response, and sustained visibility of FRSC personnel as a deterrent to violations. All formations have been mandated to prioritise critical corridors, crash-prone locations, gridlock points, and major inter-state routes, particularly during the festive rush.

Reinforcing the seriousness of the directive, the Corps Marshal charged Commanding Officers to lead from the front, maintain strict discipline among operatives, and ensure optimal use of patrol vehicles, speed-limiting devices, and other safety tools. He stressed that professionalism, integrity, and firmness must define every engagement with road users, noting that any form of dereliction of duty will attract severe sanctions.

As part of the nationwide enforcement push, the Corps Marshal has taken personal command responsibility by conducting on-the-spot highway monitoring. Following his earlier assessment of the Abuja–Lokoja corridor, which resulted in the immediate deployment of additional personnel to clear congestion and restore traffic flow, he extended the monitoring to Kaduna State. In Kaduna, he personally supervised traffic operations across major routes, ensuring strict compliance with regulations as enforcement teams apprehended several overloaded vehicles and other traffic violators.

The hands-on monitoring underscores the Corps Marshal’s zero-tolerance stance against road infractions and highlights leadership by example at a critical travel period. Motorists were sternly warned against overloading, dangerous driving, and non-compliance with traffic rules, as sustained obedience remains central to reducing crashes and saving lives.

Under Operation Zero, the FRSC has declared zero tolerance for mixed loading and distracted driving. Vehicles conveying passengers alongside goods or animals, as well as drivers engaging in phone use or other distractions while driving, will face decisive sanctions. The Corps Marshal also called on construction and road maintenance companies to open up carriageways, clear avoidable bottlenecks, and ensure effective traffic control around work zones to ease congestion and enhance safety.

Beyond enforcement, the operation places strong emphasis on massive public enlightenment and stakeholder engagement. FRSC personnel have been directed to intensify safety advocacy at motor parks, markets, religious centres, and public gatherings, reminding motorists that speeding, drunk driving, dangerous overtaking, overloading, and disregard for road signs remain leading causes of fatal crashes.

The Corps Marshal further called for strengthened collaboration with sister security agencies, emergency responders, transport unions, and community leaders to guarantee seamless traffic control and swift response to crashes and obstructions. He noted that the success of Operation Zero will be measured by tangible outcomes—reduced crashes, fewer injuries and fatalities, improved travel time, and increased public confidence in road safety management.

Reaffirming the FRSC’s statutory mandate, Shehu Mohammed urged all road users to take personal responsibility for safety and to cooperate with officers on duty, stressing that every life matters and every crash is preventable. He assured Nigerians that the Corps remains fully mobilised to deliver safer roads, safer journeys, and a festive season free from avoidable tragedies, in line with its vision of zero crashes, zero injuries, and zero deaths on Nigerian roads.