FRSC Official Smashes PUNCH Van’s Mirror In Bayelsa

A Hilux van, belonging to Punch Nigeria Limited, publishers of PUNCH Newspaper titles, was on Monday smashed by officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission in Kiama in Bayelsa State.

An FRSC official had hit the side mirror of the van, which was on circulation duty in the South-South region and left the part of the vehicle damaged.

The incident happened few weeks after a group of Vehicle Inspection Officers, stationed along the Patani Road in Delta State, damaged a PUNCH’s van.

Efforts made to get the police to arrest the errant VIOs hit a brickwall as one of the police officers at Patani Police Station demanded N20,000 to open a file for a case before they could go for the offending VIO officers.

Trouble started in Kaima when one of the FRSC officials, identified as H.U. Daghro, demanded a copy of the newspaper from the driver of the vehicle, Mr. Edet Mendie, who immediately told them that he had no complimentary copy of the day’s newspaper.

Mendie said Daghro had allowed him to go only for another official of the commission, E.D. Timidi, to violently hit the side mirror of the vehicle, forcing the part of the Hilux van to fall off.

According to him, the FRSC official, who did not show any sign of remorse, threatened to drag him to their office for a thorough beating.

Mendie added, “I was coming from Benin after dropping the papers. As soon as I got to that point, the Road Safety officer asked me for a complimentary copy of the paper and I explained to him that I was not given any complimentary copy.

“He then asked me to go. But as I moved, another officer (Timidi) hit my motor with his hand. When I got down, I asked him why he acted violently after his officer had checked me. He asked me whether Daghro asked me of my driving licence and I said he (Daghro) only asked me of paper.

“When I asked him why he hit my car, he said that our (PUNCH) vehicle is on their (FRSC) wanted list because we do not stop when they ask us to do so. Then I asked why he went ahead to hit the vehicle even when I had stopped.

“The Road Safety officer seized the side mirror of the vehicle. The incident happened at Kiama before you get to Mbiama. They told me to leave the scene and threatened that if I refused to leave, they would take me to their office and beat me up. The incident took place around 9.33am.”

FRSC Sector Commander in Bayelsa State, Mr. Vincent Jack, expressed surprise over the attitude of the officers and promised to order them to his office for questioning.