No fewer than seven operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps have been killed by errant drivers they apprehended in the last four months.
The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed this on Saturday when he spoke with newsmen in Lagos.
Oyeyemi said the biggest challenge of securing Nigeria’s road is overloading, adding that most of those who have attacked the operatives of the Corps have been those booked for the offence.
The operatives were said to have been killed between December 2015 and now.
He specifically mentioned the case of a driver who was apprehended and taken to the office of the FRSC.
After parking his vehicle, the driver attacked the FRSC operative, killing him in the process.
Oyeyemi said he would ensure the prosecution of the offenders until justice is served.
He said overloading is more common among commercial vehicle drivers, adding that no fewer than 1,000 drivers are booked all over the country daily for contravention of the loading rules.
He said: “Even when you look at some of these vehicles that are overloaded, you will find out that it would have taken them several hours to load them.
“Hours they could have used in doing the right things.”
Oyeyemi also said the time has come to encourage all passengers in vehicles to use their seatbelt.
He said this saves a lot of lives in case of any mishap.
He said even those at the rear of cars should cultivate the habit of using seatbelt, adding: “Let us promote safety.
“More lives can be saved.”
Oyeyemi also admonished Nigerians against the usage of phones while driving.
He said despite the fact that some people feel that they can not be held liable for texting while driving, this is even more dangerous than taking or making calls.
He appealed to Nigerians to drop the usage of telephone in its entirety while driving.
