By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
The Federal Road Safety Corps Zone 12, has urged residents of Bauchi, Yobe and Borno States to help the Corp in fighting corruption among its operatives particularly during the Yuletide.
The Zonal Commanding Officer, Assistant Corp Marshal Rotimi Adeleye, made the appeal while speaking to journalists at the FRSC Zonal office with Headquarters in Bauchi.
He warned that it will not spare any of its Officers and Men who is caught extorting motorists on the highways.
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According to him already, the Corp has a collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission and the Department of State Services to fish out, arrest and prosecute any operative found wanting.
“It is not only during this period alone, all along in the Corp, there has been zero tolerance for corruption. From the National level of the Corp, there is an understanding between the ICPC, the DSS and the Corp. All the FRSC staff are consciously aware that any operative that falls into the hands of the DSS and the ICPC, is on his own and they (DSS and ICPC) don’t even tell us.
“We also have our own internal control within the system wether the zone or the Sector Commands.
We have an office called “intelligence” this team does not even wear our uniform and they have been given all the powers to go out at will , to observe the operational ethics of our officers and men and they write reports. Anybody apprehended in the process is dealt with according to the law,” he said.
Adeleye stated that in furtherance to the Corps’s efforts in fighting the menace, “Recently, the Bauchi Sector Command launch a “Feedback Mechanism,” they constructed boxes and placed them in strategic motorparks that the public should come along and give us a feedback of our operatives in order to ensure that we take care of the corrective measures and we clear the bad eggs among us.”
He said that the Corp has launched an Operation for the Yuletide called “Operation Zero” programme as directed by the National Headquarters which started on 15th December to 15th January explaining that it is an annual programme that the FRSC engages in to ensure that there are safer motoring period during the Yuletide.
“This is aimed principally at reducing road traffic crashes. And this time around, we’ll have to enforce the compliance of COVID-19 protocols as it relates to road transport and we have to also ensure that there is prompt response to road traffic crashes of victims.
“We’ll also embark on removal of obstructions from the highway in order to ensure a free flow of traffic. We are conscious of the fact that the location of market tends to move towards the highway and we are having discussions with the leaders to ensure that markets are moved off the highway for free flow of traffic.”
The Zonal FRSC Boss said that over 1,300 Officers and Men will be deployed across the three States to ensure an effective operation during the Yuletide.
He explained that: “We have cancelled leave of all our personnel, every staff of the Corp is expected to be on ground in his station and there is no further issuance of leave or pass.
They will be on ground and will be fully utilized.
“Within Bauchi environment alone, we are deploying close to 450 personnel for this exercise.
When you move down to Yobe State, we are deploying all the units that are there, so we also have close to 450 while in Borno, we about 400 personnel.
“In this area, there is need for us to be security conscious, all our Officers and Men have been fully briefed on how best to work so that we will not find anyone wanting.”
He appealed to horse riders across the states to ensure that they obey the traffic rules adding that: “We appeal with our leaders to engage in discussions with these horse riders so that they can also ride safely in this festive period.”
He added that: “Overloading is another issue and as you are aware, this is a location where they move goods down south, and we are tackling this right from the source because we go as far as the markets to talk the people there to ensure that at the point of loading, we discourage them from having excess luggage.”
Adeleye said that the Corp would be engaging the Special Marshals in the zone all of whom are going to come out and be at strategic locations for absolute traffic control stressing that the Corp is more concerned about free flow of traffic so as to ensure that there is prompt response to rescue and free flow of traffic.
According to him, the issue of enforcement has to be done when it is absolutely necessary to impound a vehicle because the Corp is also conscious that in the process of impounding a vehicle, there is need for its operatives to be conscious of COVID-19.
He said that Officers and men have been adequately equipped with safety measures, but “we also want to appeal to passengers to ensure that they always put on their face masks as directed by the Federal Goverment as part of the protocols of containing COVID-19 and to discourage any driver carrying overloading. When the passengers cooperate with us, we will have a free operation.
He said that the FRSC in the zone has designed help areas at various strategic locations and corridors in the three states to assist in quick response to road traffic crashes.
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