The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it will clamp down on the user of fake number plates by commercial motorcyclists in Nasarawa State.

Corps Commander, Lucia Samuel-Mhii, FRSC Sector Commander in Nasarawa State toldnewsmen in an interview on Monday in Lafia.

The sector commander said that from her investigation, some dealers were selling motorcycles with fake and unregistered number plates.

She said that the attitude would not be tolerated and advised motorcyclists without registration to do so in order to avoid sanction.

Samuel-Mhii also said that the corps would work with traditional ruler, the state government and other stakeholders to check the use of fake number plates on motorcycles.

She said the command was planning a joint enforcement exercise with other stakeholders on fake number plates and unregistered vehicles and motorcycle in the state.

She explained that the enforcement operation would comprise of FRSC  personnel, state government officials, traditional rulers as well officials of motorcyclists and vehicle unions in the state.

On her plans as the new FRSC boss in the state, Samuel-Mhii said that part of her roadmap was to reduce road crashes to its minimum through partnership, sensitisation and enforcement of traffic rules.

She noted as challenging, the influx of commercial motorcyclists from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and other Northern states where they were banned from operating.

“The influx has led to a situation where there are a lot of commercial motorcyclists operating in the state thereby constituting threat on the highways especially in Lafia, the state capital.

“Most of the commercial motorcyclists are not registered with their unions and we will work with the unions to ensure they all register for easy regulation and control,” she said.

The commander said that she had interacted with the six different commercial motorcyclists unions and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and that they all pledged to corporate and support the FRSC towards ensuring safer roads for road users in the state.

Samuel-Mhii took over from Corps Commander Sabo Innocent-Maigari on May 6, as the 16th Sector Commander of FRSC in Nasarawa State.(NAN)

The Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, on Monday said creating state police would deepen internal security if approved.

Opeyemi said this in a statement in Abuja released by the Directorate of Media and Publicity, office of the Senate Leader.

He said with the present police system, which was “ailing and dysfunctional,” there was the need for state police.

“We must admit that the system can no longer guarantee the dignity of human lives and the security of collective assets considering our security dynamics in the Fourth Republic.

“The proposal for the creation of state police has been a subject of intense debate in the last decade or more.

“This, in part, can be attributed to the rise of armed attacks orchestrated by diverse interests either pursuing divisive agenda or seeking predatory ends in virtually all geo-political zones,” he said.

He said Nigeria, as one of the world’s fastest growing nations in terms of population, could not continue operating a unitarist security architecture in spite of its strong federal tendencies.

“Such a policing model cannot meaningfully address existential threats to our internal cohesion and stability.

“Unlike in 1979 when we had a population of 70.75 million, Nigeria is now a federation of about 229 million people, currently the world’s sixth biggest country.

“This is as shown in the demographic data of the United Nations. Contrarily, as revealed in the recent presentation of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, Nigeria has a police-citizen ratio of one to 650.

“This ratio is a far cry from a ratio of one to 460, which according to the United Nations, is a minimum requirement for every sovereign state or territory worldwide,” said Bamidele.

He added that the shortfall further reinforced the dysfunctionality of the centrally-controlled model the country was currently operating.

He said the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution would avail stakeholders the opportunity to redefine governance structure and recalibrate the security architecture.

“But we must go about it with a clear sense of self-realisation. We must, first and foremost, realise that the present police system is ailing and dysfunctional.

“We must also admit that the system can no longer guarantee the dignity of human lives and the security of collective assets.

“With this admission, it is evident that the option of adopting state police is no doubt inevitable as an antidote to diverse security challenges that threaten us as a federation,” he said.

The senate leader further said as the debate for a more efficient police model persisted, the National Assembly was under obligation to provide a legal framework that provided clearly defined preconditions.

“Sub-national governments must conform with the preconditions before they can establish their own police formation.

“The role of all 36 State Houses of Assembly is equally indispensable in the quest to adopt the decentralised police system,” he said. (NAN)

Hearing of an ex-parte motion for stay of proceedings filed by EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukayode, against contempt charge instituted by former Governor of Kogi, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, was on Monday stalled at the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

The case, scheduled for today, could not proceed due to a workshop organised by the appellate court.

The two-day workshop, organised by the Appeal Court on the Review of the 2023 Election Petition Tribunals/Court and Appeals, began today in Abuja.

The appellate court had, on May 3, granted an ex-parte motion for stay of contempt proceedings filed by the EFCC and issued against its chairman by a Kogi State High Court.

The EFCC boss, who was summoned to appear before the state’s court on May 13 to show cause why he should not be committed to prison for disobeying its orders, had appealed the ruling of the trial court and sought a stay of the proceedings of the court.

The EFCC chair is facing a contempt charge for carrying out “some acts upon which they (the EFCC) have been restrained” by the lower court on Feb. 9, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion.

Justice I. A. Jamil, in a uling on Suit No: HCL/68M/2024 and Motion No: HCL/190M/2024, ordered that “the said act was carried out by the respondent (EFCC) in violation of the order, which is valid and subsisting when they carried out the act.”

The judge held that the EFCC’s act amounted to contempt, having laid siege on the residence of the former governor, as early as 8am on April 17, with a bid to arrest him despite a court order restraining them from taking such action, pending the determination of the originating motion.

Justice Jamil’s order was based on a motion ex-parte filed by Bello, through his lawyer, M.S. Yusuf, where he prayed the court for an order to issue and serve the respondent (EFCC chairman) with Form 49 Notice to show cause why order of committal should not be made on him.

But when the case came up on May 3 before the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Joseph Oyewole, it granted the EFCC’s application to serve the processes in the appeal by substituted means on the former governor.

The court consequently adjourned the hearing of the motion on notice to May 20.

Some lawyers and litigants, who came to the court on Monday at about 9am, were told by the registrar that there would be no sitting.

“We are holding a workshop, where our judges are in attendance. Therefore, there’s no sitting today.

“The next adjourned date will be communicated to counsel to the parties for all cases scheduled for today.

“We are sorry for the inconveniences this might have caused, ” the registrar said.(NAN)