The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has voiced strong opposition to any proposal by the Federal Government to arm personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The students warned that such a move would endanger commuters and worsen insecurity on the nation’s highways.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, Comrade Sileola Akinbodunse, the NANS National Vice President for Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, described the bill seeking to arm FRSC officers as “a reckless misstep” that undermines the agency’s core mandate.
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“The past decade has reshaped the world with unprecedented changes, from digital leaps to security crises. Nigeria, Africa’s heartbeat, is no exception.
“Our socio-political terrain has shifted dramatically, leaving highways, once plagued by banditry, now battlegrounds for kidnapping and terrorism, with 1,200 lives lost in 2024 alone, according to FRSC.
“As students navigating these perilous routes, NANS rejects the bill to arm the Federal Road Safety Corps, which scaled second reading in October 2024, as a reckless misstep that endangers commuters,” Akinbodunse said.
NANS criticized the FRSC for failing to deliver on its founding mandate of curbing road crashes and promoting safe motoring since its establishment in 1988.
“In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 2,650 road accidents claimed 1,593 lives, an 8.3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. This rise highlights systemic failures in enforcement and infrastructure,” the statement noted.
The students further condemned the proposal to arm FRSC personnel, stressing that the agency has yet to resolve fundamental operational challenges.
“Arming an agency struggling with basic duties, such as issuing driver’s licenses — with more than 40,000 pending applications in Abia State alone — defies logic and global best practices.
“The FRSC’s plea for guns ignores deeper rot: bribery and unprofessionalism. In 2025, 563 drivers faced bribe-related charges, yet systemic extortion siphons an estimated N50 billion yearly, fueled by poor pay (N80,000 monthly for marshals) and outdated equipment. Arming such a force risks replicating police excesses, with over 1,000 extrajudicial killings since 2020, further eroding public trust,” NANS stated.
The association urged the National Assembly to reject the bill and prioritize comprehensive road safety reforms.
“Nigeria’s roads need reform, not rifles. We urge lawmakers to halt this bill and invest in 5,000 new FRSC vehicles, ethics training, and digital licensing systems.
“With over 80 million Nigerian youths yearning for safety, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2025, we demand policies that humanize students and commuters, not militarize their journeys,” the statement added.
NANS emphasized that genuine investment in road safety infrastructure, improved welfare for FRSC personnel, and adoption of modern technology would better address the nation’s transport and security challenges than introducing firearms into the corps’ operations.
