By Adedapo Adesanya
Private members of the society who use sirens, escorts, and flashers on the road are liable to arrest by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, has said.
In a statement released by the Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, it was stressed that only government officials were entitled to have sirens and escorts on their vehicle. He warned that the FRSC will work with the police in ensuring that those arrested will be prosecuted and their vehicles will be impounded.
The FRSC boss complained of the increasing rate at which private individuals purchase pick-up trucks and place sirens on them with escorts, adding that this is illegal as contained in the FRSC Act.
“Most of these convoys you are seeing are not even government officials. I think it’s an abuse of freedom of movement and there must be a stop to this.
“Most of them are not entitled to sirens, to put a flash on their vehicles and it is part of the lawlessness we are talking about.
“The regulation is very clear as per those who are entitled to have an escort in the first instance; the FRSC Act is very clear on those who are entitled to use sirens and all these are supposed to be documented,” he said.
“So you cannot just buy a vehicle and put a siren with some guys wearing a suit, that is an act of lawlessness and the law does not allow it and we must put a stop to this in 2020,” Mr Oyeyemi warned.
He said the agency was ready to enforce this, considering that most people abuse the use of sirens as a way to break traffic rules, calling on them to stop or face the consequences.
“So let me just say that all those who are not entitled to use sirens, flashers, escort and they are abusing this, they should stop it because those vehicles will be impounded this year and we will work with the IG and get them prosecuted,” he added.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Modupe Gbadeyanka