The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ajao S. Adewale, has fired a strong warning shot at traffic officers under his command, declaring zero tolerance for unprofessional conduct.
In a no-nonsense lecture delivered on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at the Command Headquarters in Abuja, the CP summoned all Divisional Traffic Officers, Motor Traffic Police (MOTOPOL), and other traffic personnel for what he called a reset on discipline and service culture.
Themed “Humanity First,” the lecture sought to reorient officers on the essence of traffic policing and the image of the Nigeria Police Force in the eyes of the public.
CP Adewale, visibly displeased with the current state of traffic control in the city, lamented what he described as “below-par performance” by officers tasked with keeping Abuja’s roads orderly.
“Traffic is one of the most visible measures of a city’s civility,” he declared, adding that traffic officers remain the very first impression of the police for residents and visitors alike.
According to the CP, the Force can no longer afford to tolerate acts of indiscipline, laxity, or unethical behaviour that damage its reputation and frustrate commuters.
In the past week, the police chief personally toured major routes in Abuja at peak hours to get a first-hand view of the traffic situation. His findings, he said, were unsatisfactory.
He highlighted 30 hotspots that remain the biggest choke points in the city, listing Wuse, Area 1 Roundabout, Jikwoyi, Karu, Kurudu, AYA, Apo Resettlement, Gudu, Galadima, Dawaki, and Kubwa among them.
CP Adewale charged traffic officers to raise their game by ensuring visibility, managing peak-hour congestion effectively, maintaining neat turnouts, reporting early to duty posts, and quickly clearing obstructions.
He also ordered strict enforcement against reckless drivers who drive against traffic and commercial motorists who pick or drop passengers indiscriminately along highways.
The police commissioner came down hard on dangerous policing practices, condemning the act of jumping into vehicles of traffic offenders or attempting to seize steering wheels. He branded such behaviour “reckless, unprofessional, and totally unacceptable.”
To back his words with action, CP Adewale announced the immediate launch of Operation “Keep Traffic Moving,” a city-wide exercise to restore sanity on Abuja roads.
As part of the operation, a special surveillance team has been created to monitor traffic officers and ensure compliance with directives. Any officer caught violating instructions, he warned, would face strict disciplinary action.
While appealing to residents to support the initiative, CP Adewale urged motorists to obey traffic regulations, respect officers on duty, and desist from offering inducements, stressing that bribery erodes professionalism.
He reassured the public of the Command’s readiness to sustain visibility and effective traffic control across the FCT, urging them to report misconduct or suspicious activities through the Command’s emergency numbers: 08032003913 and 08061581938.
