By Oyibo Salihu Lokoja
Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, yesterday warned police offi cers and aggressive motorists to stop attacking road safety offi cers. Th e Corps spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, stated in a statement that Oyeyemi condemned wanton assaults against road traffi c marshals and threatened legal consequences for off enders. Th e Corps Marshal said recent cases of attacks against FRSC offi cers were recorded in Abia, Jigawa and Oyo states. A motorist also sped off with a female FRSC offi cer still inside his vehicle in the Federal Capital Territory last week, Oyeyemi said.
In Abia state, Oyeyemi said police shot at two FRSC offi cers while on duty on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway on July 15. Th e police offi cers allegedly left the road safety personnel on the roadside “to die” after shooting at them, he said. Th e police offi cers were identifi ed as security detail of Abia state House of Assembly Speaker. He thanked other motorists for evacuating the injured road safety offi cers to the hospital. In Jigawa state, road transport union workers allegedly descended on road safety offi cers for attempting to book a motorist for overloading and speed limiter compliance on Kiyawa-Dutse Road. At least one person was killed in the fracas, which occurred on July 14. Kazeem did not say whether the victim was a union member or a passer-by.
“Many road users are abusing the civility of the unarmed personnel that are trained to be cautious while discharging their legitimate duties,” he said. He implored members of the police and other uniformed agencies to see the FRSC as a department that has the constitutional powers to enforce road safely regulations. “Section 10 (4) of the FRSC (Establishment) Act, 2007 states categorically that members of the Corps shall have powers to arrest and prosecute persons reasonably suspected to have committed any traffi c off ence. “Resistance based on ignorance of the law or impunity can no longer be grounds to attack operatives carrying out their lawful duties. We will defi nitely not abdicate our statutory responsibilities.” (Premium Times)
