37 FRSC Officials Arrested for Extortion

Thirty-seven officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were arrested by the Joint Inter-Agency Team led by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for extorting money from motorists in six states across the country.

A statement from the spokesperson of the ICPC, Rasheedat Okoduwa, said a raid was carried out by the team after a complaint from the FRSC management. The statement added that the complaint came from Kaduna, Bauchi, Abia, Rivers, Kogi and Ogun states.

“The team arrested 37 officials of the FRSC for allegedly extorting money from motorists on Nigerian highways. The team, comprising of officials of the ICPC, FRSC and the Department of State Services (DSS) also arrested five persons said to be agents of the corps officials in a sting operation carried out simultaneously in the six geo-political zones.

“The team struck on Friday following the receipt of a complaint from the management of the FRSC of massive extortion of money from motorists on the highways by its patrol teams. The FRSC management had, in the complaint to the commission, observed that incidents of extortion were rife in the six states.”

ICPC stated that investigation by the team led it to notorious spots in Aba, Ahoada, Ajaokuta, Itori, Torro, and Gwantu where the crime was regularly perpetrated. It also noted that 13 FRSC officials and two civilians were arrested in Aba while 24 other FRSC officials and three civilians were arrested in various spots on roads spread across the other geo-political zones.

Money extorted from motorists was found on the suspects who had been taken to custody. The FRSC officials and three of the civilians have been granted administrative bail and will be prosecuted by the commission at the conclusion of the investigations, added the statement.