LEGAL/POLICY

Stripped Tricycle Rider Who Assaulted FRSC Personnel In July, 2020 Jailed!

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A Magistrate Court sitting in Benin city, Edo State, south south Nigeria, has on Monday, January 11, 2021, sentenced a tricycle operator that assaulted FRSC personnel and stripped himself naked along Benin / Sapele road in July 2020, Adeshina Adeyemo, to 3 months imprisonment for attacking patrol operatives and damaging of patrol vehicle belonging to the Federal Road Safety Corps.

According to the FRSC spokesperson, Assistant Corps Marshal(ACM) Bisi Kazeem, Mr. Adeshina was arraigned with a case file number MEV/117C/2020 before His Worship, Snr Magistrate F. Ojehumen of the Evbuoriaria Magistrate Court B on a 2-count charge bordering on conducting himself in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace; and for maliciously damaging FRSC patrol vehicle during patrol operations along Sapele-Benin road on 16 July, 2020.

According to ACM Kazeem, the Defendant was found guilty as charged, but in line with the 2019 sentencing guidelines, the Magistrate noted that he was entitled to ‘Allocutus’, and as such, the sentence was mitigated. An allocution, or allocutus, is a formal statement made to the court by the defendant who has been found guilty prior to being sentenced. It is part of the criminal procedure in some jurisdictions using common law.

On the first count charge, Kazeem says the accused is to pay the sum of N5000(US$12.89) or 1 month imprisonment, and N41,000 or 2 months imprisonment for the second charge and both sentence are to run concurrently. He said the defendant failed to meet the option of fine and has been taken into custody at the Nigeria Correctional Service in Benin City.

The spokesman said that the matter which was first presented before His Worship on July 22, 2020 when the Defendant pleaded not guilty, witnessed over 4 subsequent appearances before it was finally adjourned on October 19, 2020 due to the #EndSARS# protest to January 11, 2021 when the verdict was pronounced.

Explaining why he was prosecuted, Kazeem recalled that the rider who was apprehended for committing the offences of driving against traffic, driving without a valid drivers license and under the influence of alcohol, went berserk at the point of arrest, stripped himself naked, and started throwing obstacles on both personnel and the patrol vehicle and at some point, even dragged the patrol operatives in uniform.

Kazeem further explained that this act of incivility and disrespect to Public Officers saw him destroy the staff’s uniform and not only damaged the windscreen of the patrol car, but disfigured the bonnet and other body parts with mud and stone before he was finally arrested, detained in Etete Police Station before charging him to Court.

Reacting to the judgement, the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi commended the Judiciary for quick dispensation of justice, noting that this, like other judgements, was an indication and strong warning to perpetrators that no member of the public who damaged FRSC property, no matter how small, would be spared.

While lamenting the attacks on FRSC personnel which often resulted in loss of lives of patrolmen on the highways, the Corps Marshal warned the motoring community, particularly the recalcitrants who had made it habitual to attack security agencies to desist from such henceforth, or face the wrath of the law squarely.

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