The Corps Marshal of
the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Osita Chidoka, has ordered investigation into the accident that claimed the lives of two pupils in Swali area of Yenagoa on May 9.
The Sector Commander of the corps in Bayelsa, Mr Vincent Jack, who announced the directive at a news conference in Yenagoa on Monday, said it remained committed to the safety of the motoring public.
He urged the public to maintain the peace as the investigation would unravel the real cause of the accident, promising that any of its officers found culpable would be prosecuted.
Jack said that members of the FRSC patrol team who attempted to assist the accident victims were attacked by the angry mob while their patrol vehicle was vandalised.
“The patrol team had to escape to a facility operated by the Nigerian Navy to save their lives. Members of the tricycle union led a protest to the FRSC office in Yenagoa on Friday and destroyed our property and operational equipment,’’ he said.
He regretted the attack on the corps, saying it was based on a belief that the patrol team was pursuing the tricycle when the accident occurred.
“What happened is regrettable because it is inconceivable that our patrol team could be pursuing the tricycle. It is against our policy to pursue offenders irrespective of the gravity of the offence. If indeed any of our men is found culpable in the probe, we shall surrender the person for prosecution because the FRSC does not harbour criminals. We want to reassure the general public of our commitment to our core objectives of maintaining safety on our roads; we shall get to the root of this,” Jack said.
A commercial tricyclist conveying the pupils crashed into a Toyota Matrix car, killing one of the pupils while the second died in a hospital on Saturday.
The late pupils of Kingdom Heritage Schools, Yenagoa, were a two-year-old girl and four-year-old boy, children of Mr and Mrs Magnus Dike.