THE Federal Road Safety Corps has clarified circumstances leading to the death of a staff of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Oluyole Unit Command in Ibadan, Oyo state and one other person in a road traffic accident.
The Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, on Sunday in Abuja, debunked insinuations in some quarters that the accident occurred when the FRSC patrol team was chasing a traffic offender.
He noted that the report of the investigation into the ugly incident indicated that a Mercedes Benz rammed into a waiting FRSC patrol vehicle, killing a personnel responding to an inquiry from a truck driver.
Kazeem described the trending video of the unfortunate road traffic crash in Ibadan which claimed the life of the FRSC personnel as misleading.
He said: “You will recall that the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi had ordered the Oyo State Sector Commander of FRSC to conduct an immediate investigation into the unfortunate incident while also directing the Corps Intelligence Officer to carry out full, discreet and independent investigation into the culpable cause (s) of the incident.
“A report was also immediately lodged with the Nigerian Police for their own investigation
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“The general public is hereby informed that the report at our disposal indicates as follows:
“At about midday of Wednesday, 6/11/19 around 1100HRS, a team of FRSC Personnel assigned to monitor and control traffic were approached by a truck driver who intended to make an enquiry from one of the members of the team.
“In the course of the inquiry, a Mercedes Benz ran into the patrol vehicle and in the process killed the Marshal attending to the driver of the truck and the other person making inquiry while discussing, with the other FRSC Official occupying the driver’s seat who was also seriously affected by the crash and eventually had one of his legs amputated at the University Teaching Hospital (UCH) Ibadan.
“Information gathered at the scene of the crash and from first responders (eyewitnesses) as well as the Police revealed that contrary to some insinuations in the trending video, the FRSC Patrol vehicle was not in motion when the incident occurred.
“The seriously injured victim was rushed to the hospital for medical attention while the deceased was taken to the morgue.
“It is also of importance to intimate the public that the alleged reckless driver has been taken to court and charged accordingly,” he said.
According to the Corps Public Education Officer, A magistrate court sitting at Iyagakun, Ibadan, Oyo State had on Tuesday, 13th of November 2019, subsequently remanded the suspect (driver of the Mercedes Benz vehicle) in prison custody till 8 February 2020 when the case would be heard.
He added that the Magistrate gave the accused some bail conditions, including provision of two sureties in the sum of One million naira each, who must be at least level sixteen Officers working in reputable organizations and who own landed property in the state.
“The accused having not met the bail conditions was remanded in prison custody.
“The general public should therefore not believe the trending insinuations that the personnel were in pursuit of any traffic offender,” he said.
Kazeem said it was quite an unfortunate incident but a reality that the job of the Corps is very hazardous in nature.
“The Corps, however, pleads that the motoring public should be more cautious while on the highways and should drive defensively. The life you save may be yours,” he said.
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