Condemns attempt to arm Road Safety Operatives
Even as a senior lecturer in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Prof Oguejiofo Ujam was on Sunday abducted along the Ugwuogo-Nike-Opi-Nsukka Road by armed bandits/terrorists just few hours after an officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission was similarly kidnapped and a ransom of N50 million demanded by the terrorists, a call has gone to the Enugu State governor Mr. Peter Mbah partner with his Kogi state counterpart to convince President Bola Tinubu to declare the Opi-Nsukka road and the Federal Highway connecting Kogi and Enugu as security emergency zone and thus build permanent military and mobile police bases there.
Making the observation is the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) which stated that the abduction of Professor Oguejiofor who is the Dean, School of General Studies of the university and the Road Safety officer in the same axis are just a few instances of the dozens of cases in which high fatalities have been recorded only this year with little or no committed security and intelligence measures put in place by these states and the federal government to check the unprecedented failure of security.
“HURIWA learnt that the kidnapping of the varsity don is one in a series of abductions along the road within the last one week.
Motorists plying Opi-Nsukka road in Enugu State have been in a general state of tensions, unrestrained panic and disappointment with unresolved cases of kidnappings on the same axis in which the kidnap of an operative of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) identified as Emeason Chima happened only last week.
“We in HURIWA wondered why these kidnappings have gone on for far too long around the Ekwegbe/Opi axis along the Enugu-Ugwuogo highway. Chima is attached to RS4.211, the Ugbokolo unit of the agency, and was kidnapped on Saturday. It is disturbing because of the presence of over six police and two military checkpoints around the route he was kidnapped. Could this be a case of conspiratorial partnerships between the terrorists and the armed security operatives at those checkpoints to perpetuate cases of kidnappings and maximise pecuniary benefits?”
HURIWA in a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko called for the establishment of permanent military and mobile police bases on the Opi-Nsukka and alongside the border area connecting Kogi and Enugu states from where most of these incidents of armed abduction of citizens and the senseless killings of kidnapped victims happen always even after being paid heavy financial ransoms.
HURIWA similarly voiced strong condemnation of the proposlsed bill before the federal house of representatives seeking to give arms and ammunition to the men and officers of the Federal Road Safety commission.
HURIWA said the bill if passed will unduly lead to the proliferation of arms in the hands of too many unprofessional and largely untrained persons which may increase the incidents of the use of extrajudicial killings of citizens.
The Rights group stated that recently, most Nigerians have observed that motor park touts are been recruited into the Federal Road Safety commission of Nigeria which HURIWA considers as a high threat to the national security interest. HURIWA faulted the modalities and quality control and standards enforced in the recruitment process by the Federal Road Safety Corps just as the Rights group said the focus of the National Assembly should be on sanitising and enhancing the professionalism of the current Federal Road Safety Corps. HURIWA recalled that in recent times, the Road Safety Corps of Nigeria has been rated as one of the most corrupt Federal government agencies.
HURIWA recalled that a bill to establish a Road Safety Special Armed Squad under the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) recently passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
HURIWA affirmed that noteworthy is the fact that, this proposed legislation has immediately elicited negative public reactions. “We in the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) believe passionately that this toxic bill lacks any utilitarian quality even as it has understandably intensified concerns about firearm intimidation and potential abuses against ordinary Nigerians given some proven but despicable cases where the FRSC officials have exhibited unprofessionalism while giving hot pursuit to citizens and road users. We note that evidence abound by way of viral videos of the illegalities committed by some operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps that lack all modicum of discipline and professionalism.
HURIWA recalled that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has long been at the mainstream of Nigeria’s road safety infrastructure, focusing on traffic regulation, accident response, and driver education. However, a recent bill proposing the establishment of a “Road Safety Special Armed Squad” under the FRSC has rightly instigated considerable public debate and widespread rejection. With the bill’s second reading recently passed in the Federal House of Assembly, concerns are mounting over the potential implications of arming road safety officials.
The bill, sponsored by Hon. Abiodun Derin Adesida (APC, Ondo) and Hon. Olaide Lateef Muhammed (APC, Oyo), reportedly aims to allow FRSC officials to carry firearms for the protection of FRSC infrastructure and personnel, not for general enforcement. Still, many Nigerians worry that this expansion of authority could lead to abuse of power, intimidation, and potentially violence, especially considering Nigeria’s current socio-economic challenges. HURIWA wonders why the police and the military are not called upon to protect those road safety infrastructure if need be instead of allowing for armed proliferation which may empower some persons with criminal records to deploy these weapons for criminality.
Established by the FRSC Act of 2007, the Federal Road Safety Corps was designed primarily to ensure road safety through regulation and education, not through force. The FRSC’s statutory functions, outlined in Part One of the Act, section 5(h), focus on making Nigeria’s highways safer through vehicle registration, driver’s licensing, ensuring vehicle roadworthiness, and enforcing the highway code.
Furthermore, sections 5(i) and 5(j) underscore the FRSC’s role in providing emergency response services. These sections mandate the FRSC to establish roadside clinics and ambulance services, offering free medical treatment for accident victims to protect lives. This approach is consistent with global best practices in road safety standards, where the focus of similar agencies remains on road safety and emergency response rather than armed enforcement.
Section 14 of the FRSC Act outlines the equipment FRSC officers are permitted to use, including uniforms, communication gadgets, motor vehicles, and medical supplies. However, Part Two, Section 19, does provide a conditional right for FRSC officials to bear arms in high-security-risk areas, acknowledging the need to protect officials in certain extreme environments. HURIWA said what should be done is for the Nigeria Police Force, the military, and importantly, the Nigerian civil defence corps to be obligated to protect road safety infrastructure if the need arises.
HURIWA recalled that the bill currently before the House seeks to extend this conditional arms-bearing right beyond high-risk situations, creating an FRSC Special Armed Squad to protect FRSC assets and personnel more broadly. HURIWA as well as millions of citizens think that this amendment represents a fundamental departure negatively away from the FRSC’s core mandate, raising questions about whether arming road safety officials is necessary or appropriate.
Instances of Extortion by FRSC Officials
Public reservations are not unfounded. Numerous reports in recent years have highlighted cases of misconduct, extortion, and abuse involving FRSC officials. Therefore we in the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) are urging the National Assembly to perish the thought of letting this dangerous bill see the light of the day.
*Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko,
National Coordinator,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). October 28th, 2024.
