CHSR To National Assembly: No Valid Reason For Nigeria’s Road Safety Agency FRSC To Carry Firearms

The CHSR said rather than wasting time and resources on the Bill, the National Assembly should pay urgent attention to the current deplorable state of Nigerian roads.

It urged the lawmakers find ways for the FRSC to reduce road accidents and curb illegal activities within the agency.

Omotehinse said, “We are compelled to address the press on the bill before the national assembly seeking to allow the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) access to the use of firearms on duty.”

According to the organisation, “Nigeria faces the challenge of abuse of the use of arms and ammunition in the hands of security agencies in addition to the growing proliferation of arms with illegitimate access by non-state actors.

“The worsening threats constituted to national security by the number of agencies using arms is, to say the least, worrisome.”

The organisation said it does “not see how collective national interest would be advanced by turning the FRSC into an arm of security agencies in Nigeria”.

It, therefore, called on the senate president, speaker of the House of Representatives and members of the National Assembly to reconsider the ongoing bill seeking legislative approval for the use of firearms by the FRSC.

It said, “We consider the proposal as needless and wrongheaded. Legalising the use of firearms for the FRSC which is supposed to operate in a civilised environment will amount to further militarizing the polity.”

According to him, what Nigerians need at the moment is not an increase in the number of armed agencies but reorientation of security agencies for civilized operation.

He said, “Nigerians look up to the national assembly to help and support a genuine quest for good governance that would allow Nigerians to live peacefully with one another.

“Therefore, we suggest that existing security agencies should be empowered and supported with relevant laws and oversight that would make them function in civilised and responsible manner.”

It views the proposal to “grant the FRSC access to the use of arms as curious, unfounded and dangerous”.

It said, “We are concerned that the rights, comfort and safety of road users will further be endangered by the bill being debated if eventually passed into law.

“We are not unaware of how officials of FRSC routinely subject motorists to delay and harassment of the private on the pretext of checking vehicle particulars.

“Allowing FRSC officials to carry firearms would lead to further increase in abuses against motorists as well as possible escalation of incidents of extra judicial killings.”

The CHSR therefore demanded, “​The FRSC should design training and re-training programs twice a year for the general road users as well as company drivers, and make regular training mandatory.

“​Road safety officials should concern themselves with their primary responsibility of taking care of accident victims on our roads which was why the agency was created rather than lobbying to carry firearms.

“​Rather than engaging in the controversy of granting FRSC the permission to carry arms, we urge the national assembly to pay urgent attention to the deplorable state of roads across the country in order to make roads motorable and safer.”