Mobile court convicts 34 motorists in Calabar for bribing FRSC officials, fines each ₦10,000 or jail.
Offenders also penalized for overloading, license violations, as FRSC vows zero tolerance on corruption.
A mobile court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, on Wednesday convicted 34 motorists for attempting to bribe officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The offenders were arraigned before Magistrate Abigail Asuquo, who presided over the proceedings after the cases were presented by FRSC prosecuting officer, Presley Orhue.
Delivering judgement, Magistrate Asuquo noted that all the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. She ruled that each offender must either pay a fine of ₦10,000 or face a one-week imprisonment for attempting to bribe FRSC marshals on duty.
“The ₦10,000 fine is the prescribed penalty for attempting to corrupt FRSC officials,” she stated.
In addition to the bribery cases, motorists found guilty of overloading or driving without a valid driver’s license were also fined ₦10,000. Violations related to seat belt use attracted a ₦2,000 fine, while non-compliance with the speed limiting device regulation carried a ₦3,000 penalty.
Speaking after the court session, the Cross River State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Innocent Etuk, expressed disappointment over the rising attempts by drivers to bribe officials. He reiterated the corps’ zero-tolerance stance on corruption.
Etuk emphasized that the FRSC in the state would not hesitate to prosecute and jail any motorist found attempting to compromise officers on duty.
He urged road users to adhere strictly to traffic laws, stressing that doing so would help the FRSC achieve its 2025 goal of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 10 per cent through targeted enforcement.
“Drivers must now refrain from all actions that put lives at risk, including bribery, overloading, neglecting seat belts, and using mobile phones while driving,” Etuk warned.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the FRSC had earlier sought approval from the Chief Judge of Cross River State to establish a special mobile court to facilitate faster adjudication of traffic offences. This request, made under Section 10(8) of the FRSC Establishment Act 2007, was approved, leading to the current court sittings.
