The house of representatives has started considering a bill
to prevent officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from carrying
guns.
The FRSC (establishment) act amendment bill was passed for
first reading at Tuesday’s plenary session.
The bill, sponsored by Akin Alabi from Oyo state, seeks to
delete section 19 — which empowers FRSC personnel to bear arms — from the act
The section reads: “Personnel of the commission, who are
exposed to high risk in the enforcement of the provisions of this act, shall
have same powers, authorities and privileges, including power to bear arms as
are given by law to members of the Nigeria Police.”
In 2019, Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the
federation (SGF), had argued that there’s the need for FRSC personnel to bear
arms in the course of their duty.
He had said it will allow the FRSC officers “to not only
protect themselves but to also protect the citizens who ply the roads every
day.”
“With the kidnappings on the roads, we actually need more
people on the roads who can assist the citizens to protect lives and property,”
the SGF had said.
However, there are concerns that such power could amount to
the violation of human rights and misuse of the arms by the FRSC personnel.
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