Motorists plying Port Harcourt-Bori road in Rivers State have alleged that men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have now elevated the act of bribery by using road hawkers to extort money from drivers without performing their official assignments on the road.
The motor drivers in a Separate interview with The Tide in the area, said officials of the FRSC tactically abandoned their jobs to direct all motorists to a common bread hawker on the road to cover themselves from being caught for bribery and corruption on the road.
A taxi driver, Mr. William Ubong said on several occasions, he was always directed to drop N500 with one bread seller on the road when all efforts to persuade the officials to check him on safety rules failed.
Ubong, who claimed to be a member of Deeper Life Bible Church told our correspondent that the FRSC officials were not after safety on the road, but pursuing wealth by using hawkers on the streets to perpetrate corrupt acts.
Another driver plying Port Harcourt-Akwa Ibom route, under anonymity reported that the road safety officials in the area were even worse than police in terms of bribery.
According to him, they would pretend as if they were searching the vehicle but the driver has already signal led to meet hawkers they deployed to collect-money on their behalf.
He said the extortion was based on categories of offences including those whose particulars and other relevant safety requirements were complete.
He therefore, called on the State FRSC Controller to call his men to order, saying that the laxity in doing the proper job on the road has led to the daily decline of safety rules and regulation on the roads.
Also speaking to The Tide, a lorry driver, Mr Ebi Abuchi (AKA) (Bulldozer) said road safety corps under President Muhammadu Buhari administration are the most corrupt offices since the establishment of the Corps in Nigeria.
He said the level of extortions on the roads by FRSC had affected the enforcement of safety rules, saying that many drivers on the road have no valid driving licence and alleged that some of drivers, especially vehicles from Akwa-Ibom State and Abia State were always overloaded with goods to cause obstruction on the roads without relevant action by FRSC in the state.
He said, most of the vehicles and tankers broken down on the road are caused by non- compliance to the safety rules, calling on the road safety corps to take their jobs serioulsy especially on the vehicles that are not roadworthy.
Meanwhile efforts to reach the State FRSC Commander, Mr Etuk Imoh, for comments proved abortive, as he refused to pick The Tide’s calls to his number.
However, a member of the Corps who pleaded anonymity said it is not true that any member of the corps assigned to duties could risk his or her job for such illegal activities.
He rather said that the allegation might be borne out of anger or ???? by motorist, who may have been severely handled in accordance to the law.