By Idongesit Ashameri - Uyo
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is the agency saddled with the task of enforcing and regulating traffic laws on the roads.
However, John Odiong has accused the agency of using its statutory powers to victimise him and prevent him from seeking justice. He also accused the organisation of threatening his life in order to scare him from pursuing justice.
Daily Independent correspondent met Odiong at the Magistrate’s Court, Fulga Street, Uyo, where he was supposed to be arraigned in November 2013, but the plaintiff, FRSC, he said, did not come to court, even as the court 4, which he was to try him, was said to be on break.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the FRSC officials, the distressed looking Odiong explained that some road marshals of the FRSC accosted him on September 25, 2012, at Ayadehe, along the Calabar Itu highway while he was returning from an official engagement.
Odiong went further to narrate that he was simply obeying the traffic directive to stop for a check and after a thorough check, which revealed he had committed no offence, the marshals on duty demand monetary gratification, which he refused to oblige.
“When they found no offence against me, they told me to find them some money so they can let me go and I asked them why I should give them money when I was not found guilty of any offence. They told me that if I did not give them something that they were going to book me.
“It is not that I did not have the money to give them, but I wanted to prove a point. They went ahead and booked me for ‘refusing to stop’ and offence sheet number 404671 was issued to me and I was not put on trial at any mobile court or Magistrate’s Court in Itu, as provided by the law and I was not given any date to appear for trial at any court. When I went on the 5th of February 2013 to enquire about my driver’s licence, they issued another notice of offence to me, which read ‘fail to report, caution for refusing to stop at Ayadehe’.
“Without taking me to any of their mobile court sessions, they added; “refused to pay fine”. It is only a competent court of law that can charge an offender to pay a fine but no court has asked me to pay any fine,” Odiong narrated.
He said his car, a Nissan Sunny, with registration number AA 294 ANA was impounded, his driver’s licence and other car documents were also confiscated, so he sued FRSC to Federal High Court, Udo Udoma Avenue, to seek justice for the unfair treatment.
“On July 1, 2013, which was the first hearing of the case, I was arrested on the court premises, detained in one of the court rooms and I was later arraigned, the charges they read against me were quite different from what I was booked for. I pleaded not guilty and I was granted bail in Magistrate’s Court 7. When the bail conditions were met, and I was freed to go; but I was rearrested by FRSC officials and taken to prison custody at the Federal Prison, Uyo
“I was arraigned in three Magistrate’s Courts and I pleaded not guilty, was granted bail but each time I will be rearrested. I have not seen any document backing that detention,” Odiong narrated further.
Odiong, who is a staff of the state Ministry of Environment, said the case has taken a new dimension, saying his life is being threatened by strange men, who told him to withdraw the case or risk destroying himself and his family.
He said two men halted him along Idoro Road on the outskirts of Uyo and threatened that if the case put their men in trouble, “you will not go free; we know where you live; we know your children and family; if you don’t withdraw that case and it affects any of our guys; you will have yourself to blame.” the strange men allegedly said.
Odiong says he had reported the incident to the State Security Service (SSS) but was yet to be invited by SSS to write a statement.
According to him, “Now the FRSC officials discovered that they have filed false charges before the court of law different from those on the notice of offence sheets in my custody, then they resorted to threatening my life, wife and children, which my solicitor reported to the SSS”.
The petition issued by distressed Odiong and made available to our reporter read in part,” I am writing to alert the public that FRSC has concluded plans to collude with the Magistrate Court officials in Akwa Ibom State to obtain my conviction at all cost, send me to prison and ensure that I am killed so as to save them the embarrassment of litigation from me over the unlawful arrest, detention, imprisonment and persecution based on false charges, which they filed through back door and which they refused to serve me with the criminal summons till date, despite my official request for service of summons on me.
“I have been standing trial in three Magistrate Courts over criminal charges which the Magistrate Court officials have refused to serve me with the court sermons. The FRSC prosecution counsel, Mr. D. U. Etuk (Esq), told me that he has instruction from his boss to prosecute me and that I will not live to pursue my suit against FRSC in the Federal High Court where I approached the court to order the release of my motor vehicle and driver’s licence confiscated since September 2012 and February 2013 respectively”.
The FRSC Public Relations Officer R. Owen, who confirmed the case, said he could not say much about the case, as it was already before a competent court of law but noted that it behoves on Odiong to prove it beyond doubt that his men demanded monetary gratification.
“He who alleges gratification; the burden of proof lies on him” he maintained.
He sees Odiong’s claims as coming from a drowning man as charges against him were incriminating hence, a bench of arrest was issued against him, which permits FRSC to arrest him wherever he was found.
On the threats to Odiong’s life, Owen claimed that since his officers do not bear arms; it will be difficult for them to issue such threats. “Let him face the court, we are still waiting for him,” he said.