The Federal Road Safety Corps has vowed to tackle the increasing cases of underage driving in Gombe by prosecuting offenders.

Samson Kaura, the FRSC sector commander in Gombe, stated this on Friday.

There has been an increase in the number of children under 18 driving cars in the Gombe metropolis and its environs, often witnessed between 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Mr Kaura, however, said the concern had been noted, and measures had been put in place to check the menace in the interest of the safety of road users.

He said that the command had embarked on “aggressive” sensitisation of parents and other critical stakeholders to enlighten them on the dangers of underage driving.

According to him, after the sensitisation, the command will begin its enforcement to ensure that only licensed persons drive on roads.

“The legal age for driving in Nigeria is 18. No one is expected to drive on the road without proper knowledge of the rules for using the road, such as road signs or driving permits.

“Underage driving is not allowed. It is wrong for anyone below 18 to drive on the road because there is an age limit. It is an offence for somebody to drive a vehicle without being in possession of a driving license or attaining the age of 18.

“We have started sensitising parents since 2024, and we will sustain that for a while before we begin enforcement and prosecuting offenders in that regard,” he said.

The sector commander warned parents against allowing teenage children to drive their cars, noting that such action only puts the children and other road users at risk.

Mr Kaura said the command had started deploying personnel to schools within the metropolis and suburbs to monitor activities related to complaints about increasing cases of underage driving.

(NAN)