The Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR), on Sunday, faulted the National Assembly on a bill seeking firearms for personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

The national president of the CHSR, Alex Omotehinse, expressed this position at a news conference in Lagos

Mr Omotehinse said that the bill to allow FRSC officials to carry firearms had passed second reading at the House of Representatives.

According to him, the CHRS’s perspective has become imperative because of the group’s mandate and the overriding quest of civil society stakeholders to defend victims of abuse of human rights and to promote the cause of justice and peaceful co-existence.

Mr Omotehinse said: “We are compelled to address the press on the bill before the National Assembly seeking to allow the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) access to the use of firearms on duty.

“Nigeria faces the challenge of abuse of the use of arms and ammunition in the hands of security agencies in addition to the growing proliferation of arms with illegitimate access by non-state actors.

“The worsening threats constituted to national security by the number of agencies using arms is, to say the least, worrisome.

“Rather than seeking to grant access to FRSC officials to bear arms, we expect a concerted effort at streamlining the use of arms and ammunition by security agencies towards demilitarising the society.”

He said that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) had exacerbated insecurity.

“In addition to mopping up illegal SALW in the possession of non-state actors, government must restrict the granting of blanket approval to agencies to procure and use arms considering the predilection for abuses by personnel.

“We, therefore, do not see the justification for granting the FRSC the approval to carry arms.

“We do not see how collective national interest would be advanced by turning the FRSC into an arm of security agencies in Nigeria,” Mr Omotehinse said.

The rights activist called on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, and members of the national assembly to reconsider the bill.

Mr Omotehinse said: “We consider the proposal as needless and wrong-headed.

“Legalising the use of firearms for the FRSC ,which is supposed to operate in a civilised environment will amount to further militarising the polity.”

According to him, what Nigerians need at the moment is not an increase in the number of armed agencies, but reorientation of security agencies for civilised operation.

He said that Nigerians were looking up to lawmakers to help and support a genuine quest for good governance that would allow Nigerians to live peacefully with one another.

Mr Omotehinse suggested that the existing security agencies should be empowered and supported with relevant laws and oversight that would make them function in a responsible manner.

He said that the duties of FRSC revolve round advocacy on road safety, operational activities to curb abuses by motorists and taking care of victims of road accidents.

“We view the proposal to grant the FRSC access to the use of arms as curious, unfounded and dangerous.

“We are concerned that the rights, comfort and safety of road users will further be endangered by the bill being debated if eventually passed into law.

“Allowing FRSC officials to carry firearms would lead to further increase in abuses against motorists as well as possible escalation of incidents of extra- judicial killings,” he said.

The president urged the lawmakers to pay urgent attention to the deplorable state of roads across the country in order to make them safer.

Also speaking, Remi Shaih of Voice Of The Masses, said if FRSC were allowed to carry arms, others like Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), among others ,will agitate for the same.

(NAN)