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C’River mobile court convicts 34 for bribing FRSC officers
A mobile court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State on Wednesday convicted 34 traffic offenders for attempting to bribe officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
The judgement was given by Magistrate Abigail Asuquo, who presided over the hearings, after the offenders were arraigned before the court by the prosecuting officer of the FRSC, Mr Presley Orhue.
Pronouncing judgement on the bribery offenders, Asuquo said, “having listened to the plea of the offenders wherein they pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them before this court by the FRSC, they have an option of going to prison for a week or paying the fine of N10,000 each.
“This is the stipulated fine for attempting to corrupt Marshals on duty.”
Those apprehended for overloading or driving without a driver’s licence were also fined N10,000 each, while seat belt violation and speed limiting device attracted N2,000 and N3,000 fine respectively.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria after the proceedings, the state Sector Commander of the corps, Innocent Etuk, frowned at attempts by motorists to corrupt the operatives, adding that the FRSC had zero tolerance for corruption.
Etuk said that the corps remained committed to sending to jail those motorists who attempted to corrupt its operatives while on duty in Cross River.
He enjoined road users to obey traffic rules to enable the FRSC achieve one of its 2025 corporate strategic goals: a 10 per cent reduction in road traffic fatalities and injuries through focused interventions.
“Henceforth, drivers must desist from attempting to corrupt patrol operatives, overloading of vehicles, refusal to use seat belts, use of phones while driving, among other vices capable of causing destruction of lives and properties on public roads,” he noted.
NAN reports that the command had earlier submitted an application to the Chief Judge of the state for the establishment of a special or mobile court, for the purpose of conducting speedy trials of traffic offenders.
This was in pursuance of section 10(8) of the FRSC Establishment Act 2007; the application was granted by the Chief Judge of Cross River, necessitating the setting up of the mobile court.
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Speaking in an exclusive interview in Calabar, on Wednesday, Obono-Obla described the generalization as defamatory and unacceptable.
Former presidential aide and legal expert, Okoi Obono-Obla, has condemned the recent protests in Ghana during which some demonstrators branded Nigerians as criminals.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Post in Calabar, on Wednesday, Obono-Obla described the generalization as defamatory and unacceptable.
“You cannot brand someone a criminal without a verdict from a court of competent jurisdiction,” he stated.
“To suggest that all Nigerians are criminals and should therefore be expelled from Ghana amounts to defamation”.
Obono-Obla expressed fears that if the Ghanaian government were to yield to what he described as a mischievous agitation, bordering on xenophobia, it would not only damage the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Ghana but also breach the ECOWAS Protocol that governs the free movement of its citizens.
The social activist expressed displeasure, saying the generalization that Nigerians were all criminals was both unfair and unfounded.
He argued that in criminal law, there is no principle of vicarious liability, saying “this is a universal standard.”
He explained that the two countries, Nigeria and Ghana, are both member states of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, whose Treaty and Protocol make provisions for the free movement of people and goods across member states.
“This is why there are many Nigerians in Ghana, and many Ghanaians in Nigeria and other ECOWAS member states because when one wishes to travel to these countries, no visa is required.
“Now, if some Ghanaians are calling for Nigerians to leave Ghana due to allegations of criminal activity, how can it be justified to claim that all Nigerians in Ghana are engaging in such activities?”
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He stressed that safeguarding Lagos’s historical records is essential to protect societal values and prevent the distortion of the state’s heritage.
Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has frowned at the current trend of renaming streets in Lagos.
According to him, such arbitirary renaming is taking place without proper regard for the legacy of those being commemorated.
Fashola stated this statement during the public unveiling of “Discover Lagos State: A History Puzzle Book (Volume 1)” held at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island on Tuesday.
He stressed that safeguarding Lagos’s historical records is essential to protect societal values and prevent the distortion of the state’s heritage.
Referencing archival materials from the University of Glasgow, Fashola highlighted the importance of documentation in shaping public memory and national identity.
He specifically mentioned Dr. Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, who studied at the university between 1913 and 1918 and later became Nigeria’s first African medical officer of health in the Lagos colony.
Fashola recounted how Dr. Oluwole pioneered school health services and founded Nigeria’s first school of hygiene in Yaba in 1920.
He noted that a street in Ikeja — Ladipo Oluwole Street — was named in his honour to immortalise his contribution.
“But it is perhaps instructive that we are discussing street naming and street unnaming, and I keep my gunpowder dry,” Fashola said, hinting at the current controversy around renaming streets.
He emphasized the importance of recognizing the reasons behind such namings, urging Lagosians to understand the legacies that such names represent.
Fashola also called for increased funding and support for the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB), the agency that developed the puzzle book.
He praised LASRAB for going beyond educational resources to serve as a vital repository for the state’s historical records.
Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the event, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat applauded the book as an innovative educational tool designed to nurture historical consciousness among young people.
Hamzat also commended Fashola’s legacy in setting up LASRAB, recalling how his administration instituted measures to ensure critical state documents were archived across ministries, including LASRAB.
“This foundational act was not merely administrative. It was an intentional effort to institutionalise, preserve, document, and disseminate Lagos’s narrative for posterity,” he said.
“It is important that we don’t only understand ourselves, but we must understand our history so we don’t lose ourselves.
“This book is a creative method of crafting historical consciousness that informs while it also entertains. That way, we don’t distort our history and we don’t misunderstand our being.”
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The protest, which took place on Wednesday, drew community members who described the renaming as a disregard for their heritage and an attempt to erase their cultural identity.
The many residents of Ilaje Road in Bariga, Lagos, have staged a protest against the Bariga Local Council Development Area’s (LCDA) recent decision to rename the road in honour of music icon King Sunny Ade.
The protest, which took place on Wednesday, drew community members who described the renaming as a disregard for their heritage and an attempt to erase their cultural identity.
The controversial name change was reportedly approved by the immediate past LCDA chairman, David Kolade Alabi, just before the end of his tenure, despite earlier opposition from residents.
Addressing the protesters, the Baale of Ilaje/Bariga, High Chief Kayode Ayetiwa, disclosed that the newly sworn-in LCDA chairperson, Bukola Adedeji, had called him ahead of the protest, appealing for patience and promising to reverse the decision. However, the community proceeded with the protest and also submitted a formal petition to the council.
Ayetiwa stressed that the name Ilaje Road has been in existence since 1948 and represents an important part of the community’s history and identity.
“We will not allow the legacy and name of Ilaje Road to be erased, no matter how prominent the individual chosen for the renaming may be,” the Baale said.
The community’s protest letter described the former chairman’s action as unconstitutional and carried out without the consent of local councillors.
Raphael Irowanu, President General of Egbe Omo Ilaje, voiced concerns about what he called a larger pattern of marginalisation, noting that the Ilaje population in Lagos State numbers around four million people with strong ancestral ties to Yoruba history.
According to him, the road renaming, coupled with ongoing demolitions affecting the community, points to an attempt to displace and undermine the Ilaje people.
He warned that continued disregard for their concerns could have political repercussions for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 elections.
While acknowledging that King Sunny Ade, like the Ilaje people, hails from Ondo State, Irowanu maintained that naming the road after the musician would only create division rather than foster unity.
Protesters displayed placards calling for the restoration of the road’s original name and insisting that Ilaje Road remains a symbol of their history and must not be changed.
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