Tag: FRSC

The Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, has revealed the key role, the agency plays in matters relating to internal security.

Oyeyemi mentioned this in the course of a presentation at the National Headquarters when participants of the 2018 Senior Executive Course (SEC) No.40 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) led by Professor Celestine Oyom Bassey paid a courtesy visit on the Corps Marshal.

Speaking on a paper titled: Strengthening Internal Security Framework and Community Policing in Nigeria: Models, Policy options and Strategies, Oyeyemi revealed that the place of the FRSC in internal security is mostly about gathering intelligence, preparing database on critical safety/security issues and sharing same with the national security community.

 

He noted that dealing with internal security involves intelligence gathering (non-combative) and physical (combative) approaches. The non-combative approach utilizes information to prevent and mitigate suspected security breach, and combative involves deployment of human and State controlled instrument of violence.

Oyeyemi also lamented the incidences of insecurity in several parts of the country. He called it worrisome, even as he highlighted the need for high level of cooperation among all security agencies to curb the trend.

Speaking further on the organizational framework of the Corps, Oyeyemi explained how the Corps has been able to utilise both human and operational facilities to improve on the nation’s security.

“FRSC in line with global best practices domesticated the international framework which led to the development of the first of its kind national framework on road safety; National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS), National Uniform Licensing Scheme, Dash board Administration, Driving School Standardisation Programme (DSSP), Road Transport Safety Standardistaion Scheme (RTSSS), among others. All these are security programmes directed at ensuring the safety of lives and properties.”

Responding, the leader of the delegation, Professor Celestine Oyom Bassey explained that the visit was part of a tour of strategic institutions in the country as part of its study on ‘Internal Security Management and Community Policing in Nigeria’ a course approved by the Presidency for the set no.40 of 2018.

Professor Bassey stated that FRSC is critical to the stated course, noting that they have been briefed on the operational and administrative activities of the Corps and how they FRSC has over the years helped in curbing issues that threaten security of lives and properties.

The Federal Road Safety Corps says it has mobilised all its field and sector commands for the nationwide 2018 Easter Special Patrol operations.

The exercise, according to the Corps Public Education Officer, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, is planned to run from March 28 to April 3, with focus on 39 corridors across the nation.

Kazeem told newsmen in Abuja on Monday that the special operation was targeted at reducing road accidents and attendant deaths, among other objectives and schedules.

“The public holiday expected to be declared by the Federal Government will definitely cause an increase in vehicular movement across the nation’s highways.

“As such, it is expedient that the corps prepares ahead of time to curtail the situation in order to ensure smooth travel experience by motorists,” Kazeem said in astatement.

He noted that the associated risks involved in the upsurge of traffic include road accidents, and road obstruction, among others, which the corps must strategise to mitigate. “We are doing that already,” Kazeem said.

He added that the efforts are geared towards achieving the 2018 Corps’ corporate strategic goal of improved enforcement and rescue services to reduce road traffic crashes by 15 per cent and fatalities by 30 per cent.

Kazeem outlined other objectives of the exercise to include effective traffic management to ensure free traffic flow, high visibility of FRSC personnel on the highways and robust public enlightenment.

Others are strict enforcement of traffic laws and regulations, prompt response to road traffic crashes, adequate supervision, surveillance and monitoring of commands’ activities.

The identified critical corridors, according to him, include Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Birnin Kebbi, Maiduguri-Biu-Numan-Jalingo-Wukani, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene, Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja-Mfum, Ibadan-Ife-Akure-Owo-Ifon-Benin and Benin-Warri-Patani-Sagbama-Ahoada-Port Harcourt highways, among others.

The FRSC spokesman said over 22 traffic gridlock-prone areas have been identified nationwide and adequate personnel have been deployed to ensure free flow of traffic.

He listed the areas to include Asaba by Bridge Head, Upper Iweka Road in Onitsha, Ore by construction area, Gwagwalada by bridge in the FCT, Katsina Ala by bridge in Katsina, among others.

According to him, the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, has instructed all field commands to deploy personnel alongside special marshals and other relevant stakeholders on all the designated corridors and areas.

Kazeem added that the 2018 Easter Special Patrol operation would focus on critical traffic offences such as failure to install speed limiting device, overloading and lane violations.

Others are use of phone while driving, driving with expired or worn-out tyres, driving without spare tyres and traffic obstructions.

He stated that over 200 mobile courts are on standby nationwide to prosecute traffic law offenders.

The field commands, he added, have been directed to ensure that the mobile courts sit throughout the seven-day period, and encourage magistrates to increase their sitting time for effective prosecution of traffic offenders.

He said the Corps would conduct “traffic count” on identified critical corridors such as Lagos-Ibadan, Kano-Katsina, Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja, Benin-Sagamu, Sokoto-Gusau, among others.

He said the Operations Department at the headquarters would deploy special monitoring teams to ensure that the exercise holds are planned.

While soliciting the cooperation of motorists and other road users, Kazeem advised those with complaints against any FRSC personnel to report at the nearest field or sector command office.

A personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), FCT Sector Command, on Wednesday physically assaulted a journalist.

The journalist who is a Defence Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Johnson Eyiangho, at the command`s office in Zone 7, Abuja was beaten up at about 11:15 am.

According to reports, Eyiangho was assigned to cover the fracas between the FRSC personnel and officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) who had gone there to seal the corps’ premises for noncompliance with environmental laws.

An argument ensued between personnel of the corps and the AEPB officials which suddenly degenerated to a free for all.

Eyiangho said that as he alighted from the NAN official vehicle that conveyed him and the agency`s photographer to the scene of the incident, some FRSC personnel descended on him and beat him thoroughly.

“The FRSC operatives also tore my shirt, inflicted bruises and deep cuts on my left leg, and summarily seized and destroyed my cell phone and voice recorder,” he said.

He also said that the personnel of the corps did not spare any journalist who came to cover the incident.

“I have never received such a beating in my life; every personnel of the corps at the scene of the incident was raining punches on me and `shouting take him away’.

“I was detained for several hours under inhuman condition in one of the corps’ offices after the thorough beating.

“One of the personnel, believed to be the Provost, supervised the beating and ordered that no one should allow me to go.

“He personally seized my identification card, a voice recorder and a cell phone,” he said.

The Public Education Officer of the corps, Mr Bisi Kazeem, instructed that Mr Eyiangho be taken to the FRSC hospital in Gwarinpa for treatment.

Kazeem also promised that the matter would be investigated for appropriate action.

 

The Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Mr Boboye Oyeyemi has assured the public that the corps will reduce by 50 per cent the rate of accidents on the highways if the funds appropriated for the agency was adequately released.

He made this known during the agency’s budget defence before the Senate Committee on Federal Character headed by Sen. Tijjani Kaura on Wednesday in Abuja.

Oyeyemi who said this would be achieved through the agency’s strategic goals also noted that the commission would train state traffic management agencies with a view to improving professionalism.

He, however, called for the upward review of the agency’s budget so as to function optimally.

The lawmakers commended FRSC for reduction in road crashes in 2017.

The FRSC is yet to publish the full data of road accidents for 2017.

But in the first quarter of last year, the National Bureau of Statistics reported 2,556 road crashes, with 42.69 % caused by speed violation.

Loss of control and dangerous driving followed closely as they both accounted for 12.73% and 7.34% of the total road crashes recorded.

A total of 1,466 Nigerians were killed during the period, while 8,672 Nigerians were injured.