How FRSC syndicate extorts money from motorists in Seme-Badagry Road

A Syndicate within the Badagry Unit Command RS 11 of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, allegedly under the supervision of the Unit Commander, Mr Zubairu Mato, who engage in exhortation of money from motorists plying the ever-busy Seme- Badagry road has been uncovered.

The officials, it was gathered usually demand between N200 and N500 ransom from commercial vehicle operators per trip after which they overlook any default in compliance with road safety regulations.

Failure to pay the bribe, it was gathered, the FRSC officials will victimize the defiant commercial vehicle operator by raking up spurious charges against the affected driver.

A source disclosed that commercial buses are made to pay N200 per trip while lorry and tipper drivers pay N500 per trip.

One of the commercial bus operators on the route narrated his experience in the hands of the Corps members.

''On this particular day, they recognized my bus. So, they asked me to stop. I did and they ran a check on me and found out that my particulars were correct.

But one of them told me to come out from my bus and asked if I didn't want to cooperate. I pretended that I was going to get the money from the bus, but I immediately sped off after entering my bus and that was how I ran into trouble with them. They arrested me the following day and took my vehicle to their office. ''

According to him, the owner of the bus took the vehicle from him after paying N25,000 to collect it from the FRSC office in Badagry.

'' These people are making life unbearable for us, they are even worse than the police. They will seize your vehicle and ask you to pay N25,000 to collect it in their office if you refuse to give them the N200 bribe.''

''They did it to me before, and because of that the owner collected his bus from me because I didn't have N25,000 to pay them'' said the victim.

A reliable source told African Examiner that the corrupt activity is encouraged by the Badagry Unit Commander, Zubairu Mato, whom they alleged ensure that officers loyal to him are constantly posted on the “juicy” route. Each of the four daily patrol  shifts on that route, according to our source pay the Unit Commander the sum of N3,000 per day.

Our source hinted that a certain group of officers popularly known as ''Mato's boys'' in the Unit are permanently posted on the Badagry-Seme axis contrary to the rotation as contained in the unit’s

African Examiner further gathered that the patrol teams involved in this illegal activity pay cash to fuel their vehicles at various petrol stations rather than use the official coupons through the logistic department.

February 27, 2012