The member representing Ikwo/Ezza South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chinedu Oga, has condemned the inhumane treatment of a commercial bus driver by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Ogah, who is the House Committee on Reformatory Institutions chairman, said the viral video circulated on social media showed a bus driver stripped half-naked and repeatedly assaulted by FRSC officers in the presence of his passengers.
The incident, according to the lawmaker, sparked nationwide outrage and condemnation, with citizens demanding accountability and investigation into the unfortunate incident.
The lawmaker, who described the act as “barbaric and unlawful,” maintained that the FRSC Establishment
Act, 2007, never empowered the officers to brutalise road users.
Section 10(4) of the Act, states that “Any person who contravenes the provisions of this Act shall be liable on conviction to the penalties prescribed by law.”
He explained that the Act vests the authority to punish in the courts, not field officers.
Section 28(2) of the Act provides that, “Prosecutions for offences under this Act shall be instituted in the name of the Federal Road Safety Commission by legal officers of the Commission, or by any legal practitioner appointed by the Commission.”
He noted that the provisions clearly show that offenders are meant to be arraigned before competent courts, not subjected to physical assault.
“The law should take its course, not inhuman treatment. Road users must be dealt with within the ambit of the law. These officers are presumed to be professionally trained, so beating a driver before his passengers is shameful and unlawful,” he added.
He further cautioned that law enforcement agencies must serve Nigerians with a human face, warning that excessive force erodes public confidence.