It was a busy Charanchi market popularly known for livestock, second hand items and associated goods trading from northern parts of the Nigeria to southern parts on weekly bases.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) consider the market important for awareness on overcrowding of passengers and livestock especially when fuel prices skyrocketed.
Amid the bleating of livestock and the human loading trucks, FRSC message that cut through the noise: no load is worth a human life.
In a bold, people-focused intervention, the FRSC Katsina Sector Command on Sunday, December 21, 2025, stormed the Charanchi Livestock Market to intensify public enlightenment against the dangerous practice of mix-loading—where animals, goods, and passengers are crammed together in a single vehicle.
Leading the campaign, Sector Commander Maxwell K. Lede, who spoke not just as an enforcement officer, but as a protector of lives.
He warned that mix-loading remains one of the silent killers on Nigerian roads, particularly during the yuletide season when traffic volumes surge and long-distance travel peaks.
“Most crashes don’t start on the highway,” he told traders and drivers. “They start right here—at the point of loading.”
He said Charanchi Market was deliberately chosen for the outreach. As one of the largest international livestock hubs in the North-West drawing traders from across the region and neighbouring Niger Republic.
” The market is a major source of heavyduty vehicle movements nationwide.
According to the FRSC, several deadly crashes recorded in southern Nigeria have been traced back to unsafe loading practices originating from the North-West.
In a show of respect for community leadership, the Sector Commander paid a courtesy visit to the District Head of Charanchi, Abdulkadir Abashe, the Sarkin Shanun Katsina, seeking the backing of traditional institutions.
The District Head pledged full support, commending the FRSC for consistently taking safety education to the grassroots.
The engagement later moved to transport operators under the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). Speaking frankly, Corps Commander Lede reminded union leaders that leadership comes with moral responsibility.
Lede cited a recent fatal crash in Oyo State involving an overloaded truck carrying animals and passengers—an accident traced to Charanchi—as a painful reminder of the cost of negligence.
“Profit must never come before human life,” he warned, urging operators to see road safety as both a legal and moral duty.
In response, transport union leaders welcomed the intervention and pledged to work closely with the FRSC to stop mix-loading at its source. They assured the Command of stricter internal monitoring and full compliance with approved loading regulations.
As the sensitisation ended, one message lingered in the air: road safety is not enforced only with sirens and penalties—but with conversation, conscience, and collective responsibility.
By taking the campaign to Charanchi, the FRSC is not just policing the roads; it is saving lives before the journey even begins.
About The Author
