A mobile court sitting in Calabar has convicted 34 individuals for a range of traffic-related offences, including attempted bribery of officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The offenders were arraigned before Magistrate Abigail Asuquo on Wednesday, following arrests and charges brought forward by FRSC prosecutor, Presley Orhue.
Delivering her judgement, Magistrate Asuquo noted that all the accused pleaded guilty to the charges.
“For attempting to bribe a Marshal on duty, each offender has the option of a one-week prison term or a fine of N10,000,” she ruled, citing the statutory penalties for corruption are related to traffic offences.
Other traffic violations also attracted financial penalties. Motorists found driving without a valid licence or with overloaded vehicles were each fined N10,000. Meanwhile, those who failed to wear seatbelts were fined N2,000, and drivers without the mandatory speed-limiting device were fined N3,000.
Speaking after the court session, Corps Commander Innocent Etuk, who heads the FRSC in Cross River State, condemned any attempt to corrupt FRSC personnel. He reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to integrity and its zero tolerance for bribery.
“We are determined to prosecute and jail anyone who tries to compromise our patrol teams,” Etuk warned.
He urged road users to obey traffic laws, noting that such compliance would help the Corps achieve its 2025 strategic goal of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 10 per cent.
Etuk also highlighted the dangers of common infractions, such as vehicle overloading, failure to wear seatbelts, and phone use while driving, emphasising that these contribute significantly to road accidents.
The mobile court sitting follows an earlier request by the Cross River Sector Command of the FRSC to the state’s Chief Judge for the establishment of a dedicated traffic court.
That request, made under the authority of Section 10(8) of the FRSC Establishment Act of 2007, was approved, leading to the creation of the mobile court designed to speed up the trial of traffic offenders.
