By Idowu Abdullahi,
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has warned motorists against interstate travels and flouting other presidential directives on movement restrictions in the country, saying personnel of the corps will intensify compliance of the restriction and arrested vehicles will be impounded while the commuters and owners will be handed to men of the Nigeria Police Force.
It explained that the warning had become imperative following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive on extending the eased lockdown for another two weeks with the aim to further contain and control the spread of the disease for another 14 days effective from 1:59 Monday 18 May 2020.
The FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said FRSC officers have been directed to align completely with the strict enforcement of restrictions and physical distancing amongst vehicle occupants as directed by the President in line with the corps resolve to support ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Oyeyemi, through a statement released to newsmen on Friday by the FRSC Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, stressed that the officers must ensure compliance of the movement restriction towards sustaining existing collaborations with the Federal and State Governments in the fight against the deadly respiratory disease.
He urged officers to ensure that the order on restrictions is strictly adhered to and effectively enforced with all sense of professionalism while charging the Commanding Officers to ensure adequate deployment of personnel on all routes to effectively carry out the Presidential order.
“As the Corps moves into the first week of the extension of phase one of the eased lockdown regime, personnel must show diligence and ensure total enforcement of all the measures in place. Particularly, the ban on interstate travels, physical distancing amongst commuters, and policy on the use of masks/covering.
“Further to the aforementioned, no vehicle should be allowed to violate the directives except the vehicles and the occupants are accredited essential workers with proof of identification, Commanding Officers must ensure that the vehicles are impounded and the occupants handed over to the Police for prosecution in the Court of Law for contravening the Presidential Order on restrictions, social distance and stay at home,” the statement read in part.
Oyeyemi, however, advised citizens to comply with the restriction order to avoid harassment, adding that essential workers must endeavor to respect the social distance directives in vehicles.
