The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has called for the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the recent shooting of two of its officials in Abia State.
Chikwendu Kalu, Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, was alleged to have ordered the shooting of the FRSC officials but he has denied the allegation.
The incident occurred on July 15, 2017 at Arungwa Junction (near Aba) on the Enugu-Port-Harcourt highway.
Kalu’s wife, Victoria, was said to be travelling to Aba when the FRSC men flagged down her vehicle and attempted to book her for seat belt violation.
But on Tuesday, while reacting to the reported dismissal of Iroh Orji, a Police Corporal, over the incident, Bisi Kazeem, Public Education Officer and spokesman of the Corps, said only the arrest and prosecution of the Speaker and others would pacify the corps.
Orji, who was an orderly to the Speaker, was said to have pulled the trigger on the FRSC officials at their duty post on July 15.
Leye Oyebade, the State Commissioner of Police, announced Orji’s dismissal from the Force on Monday, saying that he was found guilty of the offence during an orderly room trial.
Kazeem told NAN in Abuja that the policeman’s dismissal was a welcome development. However, he called for the criminal prosecution of Orji and others involved in the shooting, including the Speaker, his wife and an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS).
“The corporal’s dismissal is a welcome development, which shows that the police have zero tolerance for acts of indiscipline and lawlessness among their men,” he said.
“But we call on the police to institute criminal proceedings against him and others involved in the act of criminality against our men.
“We have made this demand in writing to the Director of DSS in Abia, who said he had made recommendation to headquarters for disciplinary action against the operative.
“The director said the recommendation had to be verified and approved by headquarters before action could be taken.’”
Kazeem said that FRSC had also written to the police command in the state to seek the arrest of the Speaker, his wife and the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident.
“I strongly condemn any over-zealousness on the side of any security personnel, be it anyone, not to now talk of being the Police, FRSC, the Army and Department of State Services,” he said.
“I think I will be the last person to encourage it because it doesn’t augur well with state and the country at large.”