By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto

SOKOTO:–Alarmed by the surge in road crashes across the Sokoto metropolis, the Sokoto State Police Command has issued a hard warning to motorists, commercial drivers, tricyclists, motorcyclists and cyclists, declaring an end to the reckless and unlawful practice of driving against traffic, popularly known as one way driving.

The Command said the growing disregard for traffic rules has become a major trigger of avoidable accidents, injuries and loss of lives within the metropolis, posing a grave threat to public safety and order.

According to the Police, one way driving remains a gross violation of traffic regulations and a leading cause of fatal collisions, particularly on busy urban roads where visibility and reaction time are limited.

In response, the Commissioner of Police has ordered the immediate intensification of enforcement operations across Sokoto metropolis and other parts of the state. Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Traffic Units and Tactical Teams have been directed to arrest and prosecute offenders without hesitation or exception.

The Command stressed that the era of leniency is over, warning that no individual or category of road user is above the law. Anyone caught driving against traffic will face the full weight of the law.

Residents were urged to obey traffic rules, respect road signs and exercise patience and responsibility while using the roads, noting that safety is a shared duty.

The Police also called on parents, transport unions, tricycle and motorcycle operators’ associations, fleet owners and community leaders to urgently caution their members and wards against the dangerous practice.

Reaffirming its commitment to protecting lives and property, the Sokoto State Police Command vowed to sustain strict enforcement until sanity is restored on the roads and the rising tide of accidents in the metropolis is decisively curbed.