The Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigerian Bar Association have formed a collaboration in order to bring legal lawsuits against obstinate drivers and their employers, whose poor road usage culture results in accidents and fatalities.
The alliance is in response to concerted efforts that have already been made to guarantee that victims of traffic accidents receive fair compensation through recognised legal channels.
The Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, and the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Yakubu Maikyau, signed the agreement, according to a statement provided to our correspondent on Tuesday by the Corps’ spokesman, Bisi Kazeem (SAN).
Recall that the Corps has already extended partnership in order to provide compensation for victims of traffic accidents.
In order to prosecute drivers and their employers, the Corps obtained a Memorandum of Understanding with the Falana Chambers while pursuing criminal charges against the driver who killed Professor Festus Iyayi, the former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
Biu visited NBA headquarters in part to take advantage of the reputed organization’s widespread nationwide presence to achieve prompt prosecution and fair victim compensation.
Biu emphasised the need to end the current reign of impunity on the roads during the tour by making sure that any motorist whose actions or inactions resulted in the loss of life or injury of other road users was brought to face the wrath of the law.
He beckoned on the President “to play proactive role by constituting a team of legal luminaries that will help stem this dangerous tide through filing of civil actions against these drivers and their employers.”
The Corps Marshal also asked the President for help in altering the incorrect assertion made by some state judiciaries that the FRSC lacks the authority to function on public highways.
He said that a few High Courts in various states have ruled against the Corps due to a lack of jurisdiction. He believed that, if well prevented, traffic accidents may happen anywhere there are roads.
In response to the Corps Marshal, Maikyau praised the action and reiterated the Nigerian Bar Association’s readiness to work with the Corps in that capacity, saying that doing so was in the best interests of the entire country.
He assured the Corps Marshal that “the 125 branches of the Association will be directed to key into the partnership and ensure smooth handling of the cases as applicable.”
As a result, he ordered the immediate formation of a commission tasked with upholding the duty of giving justice to victims of traffic accidents.
The Branch Chairmen of the Association from Suleja, Gwagwalada, Keffi, Bwari, Kwali, and Abuja City Area will serve on the committee, which will be led by Mr. O.A. Sule, SAN.
The Corps Legal Adviser and a chosen legal team from the FRSC are additional committee members.
The NBA President promised the Corps Marshal that he would consult with the Attorney General of the Federation, the Chief Justice of the Federation, as well as all Heads of Courts to reshape the incorrect position on the FRSC’s authority to operate on state roads. According to him, traffic accidents would not choose jurisdiction to occur and must therefore be adequately prevented on all roads.
Maiyaku also authorised the participation of attorneys from the FRSC in NBA committees.
