Retired Maj-Gen. Muhammad Iliyasu-Bashar, Emir of Gwandu in Kebbi State, has accused some members of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of extortion, urging the leadership to fish out such members and flush them out.

He urged the corps to step-up efforts to address the lingering menace of extortion spreading on highways.

He said: “I want the positive image of the corps protected by continually sanitising the system.

“I also want to advise all security agencies to ensure that only fit and people worthy of good characters are recruited.

“I want to use this medium to note that the ban on motorcycle operation in Lagos has led to the influx of many of the operators into the state and most of the motorcycles are not registered.

“As a body saddled with responsibility of ensuring safety on roads in addition to vehicle registration, I enjoin you to ensure proper registration of the bikes and licensing of the riders for safety and security reasons,” the Emir said.

The Emir gave the advice while receiving the FRSC Zone 10 Commander in charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, ACM Kayode Olagunju, in his Palace in Birni Kebbi on Friday.

The Emir of Gwandu, also the Chairman, Kebbi State Council of Chiefs, stressed the need for the corps to tackle the issues of overloading of vehicles by motorists.

The traditional ruler observed that people no longer placed high values on sanctity of lives, saying, “that is why they allow themselves to be overloaded in vehicles and sometimes  packed with animals.

“It is worrisome that some travelers are being transported in vehicle trunks and atop of unstable loads on vehicles. This, of course had led to many deaths and injuries,” he said.

Iliyasu-Bashar, who appreciated the efforts of the FRSC, however, urged the corps to do more to tackle the lingering issues of increasing accidents on the highways.

The Emir pledged that the Emirate would collaborate with FRSC to sensitize  motorists through consistent public enlightenment to obey road traffic rules.

He called on the corps to raise its enforcement and prosecution of violators, assuring that the emirate would lend its support to the corps.

The Royal Father also appealed to the command and other security agencies to identify and expose the bad eggs among them who extort motorists with a view to flushing them out of the system.

Earlier, the Zonal Commanding Officer, ACM Olagunju, appreciated the support of the Emir and the  traditional institutions in Kebbi state.

He thanked the Emir for  keying into the programmes of the corps to reduce casualties and injuries resulting from accidents on the highways.

Olagunju sought for further collaboration with the emirate to tackle overloading across the state and assured the Emir of the efforts of command to reduce the menace.

He said vehicles including motorcycles with old number plates as well as those not properly registered were being impounded.

The Zonal Commanding Officer told the Royal Father, that the focus of the FRSC management was to ensure discipline of his personnel.

Olagunju promised that the corps would not relent in its goal of ensuring compliance with traffic laws for improved road safety records in the Zone.

The Zonal Commanding Officer was accompanied to the palace by the Kebbi State Sector Commander, Mr Ebenezer Asaniyan, and other senior officers from the command. (NAN)