A mobile court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, on Wednesday convicted 34 motorists for offering bribes to officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) while on duty.
The judgment, delivered by Magistrate Abigail Asuquo, followed the arraignment of the offenders by FRSC prosecuting officer, Mr. Presley Orhue.
In her ruling, Magistrate Asuquo stated, “Having listened to the plea of the offenders wherein they pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them before this court by the FRSC, they have an option of going to prison for a week or paying the fine of N10,000 each.”
She explained that the fine imposed was in line with the standard penalty for attempting to bribe FRSC marshals.
In addition to the bribery charges, other traffic violations were also penalized.
Motorists caught for overloading or driving without a valid driver’s licence were fined N10,000 each.
Offenders of seat belt regulations and those without speed limiting devices received fines of N2,000 and N3,000, respectively.
Speaking after the court session, the Cross River State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Innocent Etuk, condemned the persistent efforts by some motorists to compromise the integrity of patrol officers.
He declared, “The FRSC has zero tolerance for corruption.”
Etuk stressed that the agency remains firmly committed to prosecuting anyone who attempts to bribe officers in the state.
“Henceforth, drivers must desist from attempting to corrupt patrol operatives, overloading of vehicles, refusal to use seat belts, use of phones while driving, among other vices capable of causing destruction of lives and properties on public roads,” he said.
The Sector Commander also reiterated that road users must follow traffic laws to help the FRSC achieve its 2025 corporate goal of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by 10 percent through strategic enforcement and awareness.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the mobile court was established after the FRSC formally applied to the Chief Judge of Cross River State, requesting a special traffic court in line with Section 10(8) of the FRSC Establishment Act, 2007.
Following approval from the Chief Judge, the mobile court was set up to fast-track the prosecution of traffic-related offences in the state.
