The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Monday debunked media reports that it said officers and men of the Corps should bear firearms to curtail the excesses of motorists and to protect themselves from hoodlums who harass them while carrying out their legitimate duties.
The were reports that Chairman of the Committee, Akinfolarin Mayowa at the 2021 budget defense of the Corps last week alluded that the FRSC Act 2007 allowed the Corps to carry guns and it has become necessary to implement the Act to enforce traffic rules without hindrances.
However, Mayowa while addressing journalists in Abuja denied that the lawmakers never said Road Safety operatives can carry arms, as it only
resolved to interface with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation through a sub Committee to fashion out ways of putting an end to the sad development.
He said the Committee has not and will not mandate the Corps to bear arms because it lacks such powers, adding that though there is a provision to protect the officers exposed to danger, at no time was a specific request and approval sought and given for firearms bearing.
”Want to start by debunking some insinuations made across social media. We were with the Federal Road Safety Commission for budget defense, and in that meeting it was clearly stated that as responsive representative that we owe it a duty to protect lives and properties on our roads and the Marshal made some reports concerning the harassment, molestations, killings of his Corp officers and we responded as a committee, a committee that’s very responsive and sensitive to the plight of Nigeria.
“We made it clear that we owe it a duty to ensure safety on our roads. The Road Safety people and roads users are all Nigerians and it’s our responsibility. It’s an issue of two sides to a coin and the personnel of the road safety must be protected and we made it clear in that meeting that safety on our roads, is a collective responsibility. Including all of you here seated.
”We made reference to an existing law, the Road Safety Establishment Act of 2007, and there was section 19 made it very clear that those on essential duties, those exposed risks tone protected by way of giving arms to them where possible. We said a committee should be set up. We’re not saying Road Safety should carry arm or not, what we’re saying is if you have a law , what should be done is to call for amendment, once you have that amendment there will be public hearing, at the hearing the people will be able to make their contributions where necessary.
”Even now can anybody suggest we should buy guns where we don’t even have the money to fund our projects, on yearly basis we make budget but at the end of the day half of this money cannot fund the projects. We now said let us sit down and see what can be done to protect our people, Road Safety people are Nigerians, our concern is safety on the road and protection of lives and property. Laws are made to obeyed, amended, discarded so where necessary we have to sit down, including yourself to make an input. This is an important issue”, he stated.
