FRSC marshal calls for firearms to tackle highway traffic offenders

By Isaac Joseph Inyang

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has advocated arming road safety officers as a measure to ensure effective enforcement of traffic regulations across Nigeria’s highways.

Mohammed, who spoke on the challenges of highway patrol, said officers often face difficulty in stopping heavy-duty vehicles such as trailers and tankers overloaded with goods, passengers, and animals.

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“How do you stop a trailer or a tanker on the road? How do you just do that? It’s very, very difficult. A truck, especially a truck with probably 100 passengers on top, with animals, and you only have four personnel as a team on patrol, and trying to stop a trailer, how do you do that?” he asked.

According to him, equipping officers with firearms will give them the authority and means to enforce compliance with traffic laws. “It (Gun) will support. If you don’t have the power to enforce anything, there’s no way you can achieve that enforcement,” he added.

The FRSC boss also admitted to internal challenges, noting that the corps has recorded a high number of dismissals and terminations of personnel over bribery and corruption.

His remarks come at a time when Nigeria continues to grapple with rising cases of road crashes, reckless driving, and non-compliance with traffic laws. The proposal to arm FRSC officers is, however, likely to spark national debate on the balance between safety enforcement and the potential risks of firearm misuse.