A Nigeria’s Islamic civil rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has demanded the prosecution of four officials of Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) who allegedly beat a citizens, Odion Omafo Samuel, to death for refusing to give them bribe.
Describing the act as callous, wicked and detestable, MURIC in its reaction to the killing listed the killer FRSC suspects as Francis Igboh, Sunday Ogi, Samson Alolade and Joseph Onolade and insisted nothing short of justice was desirable in the case of Odion, who was allegedly killed by the officials on 14th October, 2019 after flagging down his Audi 80 car at Okhuaihe Hill along Benin-Agbor Road.
Worst was that the killer FRSC officials reportedly buried the victim’s body in a shallow grave to cover their evil act but luck ran against them later.
Angered by the reported evil doing, the Islamic rights group, through a statement by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, sent to The DEFENDER, demanded the prosecution of the suspects.
“The killing of Samuel Omafo Odion is callous, wicked and detestable. FRSC men have disappointed Nigerians. The same people posted on our roads to ensure our safety have become our killers. Men of road safety have become road killers. It is preposterous. This is additional evidence that there are criminals among officials of the FRSC.
“We demand immediate prosecution of the suspects. There must be no coverup from anywhere. We call on FRSC authorities to stop their men from flagging down motorists on lonely higways. Such method is an avenue for extortion, intimidation and other criminal activities like this recent killing.
“FRSC officials often expose motorists to danger by stopping them in odd places. Vehicles stopped on lonely stretches may refuse to start when the driver is eventually allowed to go. This is very dangerous particularly with the security challenges facing Nigeria. FRSC leadership is therefore urged to inject a human face to the modus operandi of its men. Besides, there is need for FRSC leadership to review its recruitment methods with a view to weeding out criminal elements from inception.
“In addition, we appeal to Nigerian lawmakers to protect Nigerians from FRSC killers by taking urgent action capable of stopping FRSC officials from flagging down motorists in dangerous places. Our lawmakers should not wait until Nigerians start ignoring stopping signals from FRSC officials out of fear for their personal safety.
“As we drop the anchor, we call on the Nigerian police to ensure unhindered prosecution of the four FRSC suspects until justice prevails. We charge FRSC leadership to stop their men from flagging down motorists on lonely highways. We appeal to Nigerian lawmakers to rise to the occasion.”
