Reps consider bill seeking to allow FRSC personnel bear arms

A bill seeking to empower the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to bear arms has passed the second reading at the house of representatives.

The bill, sponsored by Abiodun Adesida, a member from Ondo, and Olaide Muhammed from Oyo, passed the second reading during the plenary on Thursday.

The bill proposes to amend the Federal Road Safety Corps Act 2007 and establish the road safety special armed squad.

The legislation also aims to make personnel on the rank of deputy corps marshal “enjoy benefits attached to that grade, including retirement grade”.

The bill intends to empower the FRSC with the responsibility for road “traffic administration and safety management, preventing and minimising road traffic crashes on public roads, supervision of users of such public roads, regulation of traffic thereon, and clearing of obstruction on any part of the public roads, and for educating drivers, motorists, and other members of the public generally on the proper use of public roads”.

The bill, which was not debated, was unanimously voted for when put to a voice vote by Tajudeen Abass, the speaker of the house.

Abass referred the bill to the committee on FRSC for further legislative action.

The house also asked the FRSC to embrace technology-assisted enforcement such as automatic vehicle local (AVL) systems, automated traffic enforcement (ATE) systems, advanced analytics, and data platforms to enforce its mandate in the country.

The house passed the resolution after the adoption of a motion moved by Garba Muhammad, a lawmaker from Kano.

In September, President Bola Tinubu asked the FRSC to improve road monitoring to reduce accidents nationwide.

The president’s demand followed a road accident in Kaduna state in which over 36 people were killed.

The victims were worshippers travelling to Saminaka in Lere LGA of Kaduna to observe Eid-el-Mawlid, a celebration marking the birth of Prophet Muhammad.