On Thursday, a bill to amend the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Act, 2007, and establish the FRSC Special Armed Squad passed a second reading at the House of Representatives.

If passed into law, the bill will allow the officers to carry firearms to perform their duties.

The bill, jointly sponsored by Abiodun Adesida and Olaide Muhammed of the All Progressives Congress Ondo and Oyo states, respectively, was unanimously supported by other lawmakers after a voice vote before being passed for a second reading.

According to the proposed bill, FRSC officers on the rank of deputy corp marshal will enjoy benefits attached to the rank, including retirement benefits.

The bill will also allow the officers to be solely responsible for traffic administration and safety management, preventing and minimising road traffic crashes on roads, supervising road users and regulating traffic.

They will also be empowered to clear obstructions and educate motorists and other members of the public on the proper use of the roads.

In another motion by Garba Ibrahim Muhammad, the House urged the FRSC to adopt technologically assisted enforcement, such as automatic vehicle local and automated traffic enforcement systems, advanced analytics and data platforms, amongst others, to carry out their operations.

The lawmakers adopted the motion and referred it to the House Committee on FRSC.