Rt. Hon. Chinedu Ogah, member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and Chairman, House Committee on Reformatory Institutions, has condemned the inhumane treatment meted out to a commercial bus driver by operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
A viral video circulating on social media showed a bus driver stripped half-naked and repeatedly assaulted by FRSC officers in the presence of his passengers. The incident sparked nationwide outrage, with citizens demanding accountability from the corps.
Reacting to the development, Hon. Ogah described the act as “barbaric and unlawful,” pointing out that the FRSC Establishment Act, 2007, never empowered officers to brutalise road users.
Quoting Section 10(4) of the Act, Ogah said:
“Any person who contravenes the provisions of this Act shall be liable on conviction to the penalties prescribed by law.”
He explained that the Act vests the authority to impose punishment on the courts, not field officers.
Similarly, Section 28(2) of the Act provides that:
“Prosecutions for offences under this Act shall be instituted in the name of the Federal Road Safety Commission by legal officers of the Commission, or by any legal practitioner appointed by the Commission.”
Ogah stressed that these provisions clearly show that offenders are meant to be arraigned before competent courts, not subjected to physical assault.
“A law should take its course, not inhuman treatment. Road users must be dealt with within the ambit of the law. These officers are presumed to be professionally trained, so beating a driver before his passengers is shameful and unlawful,” Ogah said.
He further cautioned that law enforcement agencies must serve Nigerians with a human face, warning that excessive force erodes public confidence.
The federal lawmaker also urged the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, to throw out the controversial bill seeking to arm FRSC personnel with firearms.
“If unarmed officers can descend to this level of brutality, imagine what would happen if they are allowed to carry guns. They are not mature enough to handle such responsibility,” Ogah warned.
He called on the Corps Marshal, Dauda Ali Biu, to sanction the erring officers, institute human rights training for all field personnel, and ensure strict compliance with the FRSC Act in road traffic enforcement.
“The FRSC was established to save lives, not to humiliate Nigerians. The law is clear offenders should face trial in court, not trial by beating,” Ogah concluded.
