The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC)

  • Police shielding killers of my son- deceased father

    Police shielding killers of my son- deceased father

    Daniel Kokorifa, the father of Innocent, the 17-year-old boy allegedly killed by policemen in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Monday, accused the police of trying to shield the police team that killed his son.

    He cried that since his son was gunned down by the police on August 18, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, had yet to visit his family and commiserate with them.

    The aggrieved father said in an era of change under President Muhammadu Buhari, the police had demonstrated the same impunity which the current administration said it had come to change, in the case of his son’s alleged extra-judicial killing.

    Kokorifa was shot dead in mysterious circumstances by the Anti-Vice/Anti-Kidnapping team of the Bayelsa police command along the Air force Road.

    The son was said to be running an errand for his mother, Pere, when he was killed in mysterious circumstances by the policemen who deposited his remains at the mortuary  of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa.

    The father of the deceased, an officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) insisted that his first child out of five children was murdered in cold blood.

    He said the victim who was to turn 18 on 9th of September was a peacemaker, a non-smoker who had no records of criminality.

    “We are talking about my first son that I invested so much on and was preparing him to live his dream of becoming a lawyer. The police snatched him away from me in an unprofessional manner. Yet, there is no sympathy from the police. They are not handling the matter very well. It seems they want to deny me and my dead son justice.

    “I heard that the particular persons who shot my son was arrested and taken to Zone 5 in Benin. I have not confirmed because there is no official channel communicating to me. The police must show transparency in the handling of this case so that the law will take its full course”, the father said.

    He said in the spirits of transparency, the identities of members of the police team that shot and killed his son should be made public.

    “We have been mourning since this incident happened. We can’t stop mourning Innocent because we love him so much. My wife has been a shadow of herself and my other children are still thinking that one day their big brother will come home. What we demand is justice”, he said.

    The murder of Kokorifa has attracted deluge of criticisms against the police from members of the public.

    Hundreds of youths, women and activists at the weekend trooped to the streets of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, to protest the alleged extra-judicial killing of a 17-year-old Ijaw youth, Master Innocent Kokorifa.

    But the police in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Butswat Asinim, said the victim died in a gun battle between a three-man notorious armed robbery gang and the police squad.

    Aggrieved youths and activists took off from the NUJ Secretariat, Azikoro Road and marched towards police command headquarters but were stopped by the police at the Onopa axis of the Mbiama-Yenagoa road.

    They displayed placards and banners with inscriptions, “police are to protect lives and properties, not to kill innocent citizens”, not every Bayelsa youth is a criminal”, police, please stop the killings”, “we say no to police brutality and many others.

     

  • FRSC reiterates commitment to reduce crashes in Ebonyi

    FRSC reiterates commitment to reduce crashes in Ebonyi

    The Ebonyi command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Wednesday reiterated its resolve to ensure that road crashes were reduced in the state.

    Its Sector Commander, Mr Charles Abuochi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki that it would deal with traffic offenders to ensure that the safety of all road users was guaranteed.

    Abuochi said that officers and men of the command were adequately mobilised and equipped to enforce extant traffic codes to guarantee the safety of lives and properties on the highways.

    He said that drivers who indulged in drunken driving, use of expired or worn out tyres, speeding, non-use of seat belts and use of cell phones while driving would be dealt with.

    He added that non-possession of genuine drivers’ license would also be visited with dire consequences.

    The sector commander urged private and commercial motorists to ensure that they underwent driving test at FRSC-approved driving schools to obtain certificate on completion of their training.

    He also called on them to always ensure that their vehicles were in good condition before putting them on the roads.

    “In line with the statutory mandate of the organisation, we are committed to ensuring that the safety of lives and goods on the roads is guaranteed.

    “The commission is ensuring that motorists and indeed other road users comply with extant traffic codes that will guarantee the safety of all road users.

    “We will ensure that road crashes are drastically reduced while violators of traffic codes will face the consequences of their actions to serve as deterrent to others,’’ Abuochi said.

    He warned parents and guardians to desist from allowing their unlicensed and underage children to drive to avoid road crashes.

    Abuochi said that safety on the roads and prevention of road crashes were joint responsibilities, adding that motorists, passengers and stakeholders should collaborate with the commission to ensure safety on the roads.

    “I implore motorists, passengers and other stakeholders to collaborate with the commission for effective and efficient maintenance of safety on both the local roads and highways,’’ he added.

  • Most auto-accidents in Nigeria due to fake, expired tyres—FRSC

    Most auto-accidents in Nigeria due to fake, expired tyres—FRSC

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Monday attributed most road accidents in the country to the use of fake and expired tyres by vehicle owners.

    Mr Ikechukwu Igwe, the Cross River Sector Commander of FRSC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Monday that fake and expired tyres were responsible for more than 3,000 road crashes in the last five years.

    He expressed regrets that most Nigerians still prefer used tyres in spite of the regular sensitisation campaign carried out by the commission on the need to stop purchase of fake and expired tyres.

    “The FRSC would not relent in its sensitisation campaign with a view to educating car owners on the dangers of patronising fake and expired tyres.

    ‘Fake and expired tyres are responsible for most road accidents in the country today; there is a need for drivers to stop buying such tyres.

    “We will intensify efforts in collaboration with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to raid outlets that trades in fake and expired tyres,” he said.

    He advised car owners to always check the expiry date of any tyre they intended to buy, saying that such checks would prevent them from buying fake ones.

  • Ocholi’s driver may face prosecution

    Ocholi’s driver may face prosecution

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal on Wednesday could not rule out the possibility of the driver that drove the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi, from facing prosecution for over speeding and not owning a driver’s license.

    Ocholi, his wife and son had died in a car crash on Sunday on Kaduna-Abuja road.

    An interim report of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) had claimed that the driver of the car, James Elegbede, was over speeding and had no driver’s license.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the SGF said that the final report on the accident will determine if Elegbede will be prosecuted.

    He said: “As to the issue of whether we would prosecute the driver, Yes, Nigeria is not short of laws, the problem is that Nigerians find it very difficult to obey the laws.

    “There is a speed limit in place and so if anybody chooses not to obey the traffic laws, of course, it is subject to prosecution by the agencies concerned. But as to this particular incidence, I think we will leave it until the final report of the investigation comes out.

    “But of course as we say accident is accident and nobody goes out deliberately to summersault and die, but as to allegations you claimed from the family, we are not aware and anybody who has anything to the contrary, that they didn’t die in an accident is free to report to the law enforcement agencies who will appropriately take it up.” He added

    He explained that the Federal Government did not extend automatic employment and scholarship benefits to the driver’s relative and other surviving victims because they are alive and still on government payroll.

    He said: “The government decided to give employment to the children of the late minister because he was the breadwinner and the children are now orphans. On the other hand, the driver survived and the government is taking care of their medical bills at the National Hospital and they are also government workers as some of them are policemen, SSS and others.

    “So they are on salary and are treated free, but God forbid that had any of them suffered the same fate as those who died, the President would have willingly included them in the list of beneficiaries,” he stated.