A member of the Association of Medical Sales Representatives Professionals of Nigeria (AMSPON), Damian Collins, has raised concerns over what he described as excessive fines and unlawful cash payments allegedly demanded by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
In a petition addressed to the Lagos State commandant of the FRSC, Collins narrated how he was stopped at the Ago roundabout on November 13, 2024, for a non-functioning passenger-side brake light after his vehicle had been checked by officials.
According to Collins, he complied with the FRSC officer, who instructed him to drive to their office. On arrival, he was informed that his case would be handled by a mobile court. “The charge was read, I pleaded guilty, and the magistrate fined me N10,000,” Collins said.
He, however, alleged that despite requesting to pay into a government account, one FRSC officer, Chioma Okeke, and the prosecuting lawyer insisted on cash payment.
Collins claimed the lawyer told him that no government account number was available for the payment and instead suggested using a Point of Sale (POS) vendor. However, the POS vendor was reportedly unavailable.
Collins called for a review of the incident, questioning why he was fined N10,000 instead of the N2,000 stipulated on the FRSC portal. He demanded a refund of N8,000 and an apology, urging the FRSC to enforce payments through official government channels to prevent future occurrences.
Reacting to the complaint, the Lagos Sector Commander of the FRSC, Kehinde Hamzat, clarified that the complainant was convicted by a magistrate under a mobile court process and that the matter was handled according to state law.
“It was the state law that was used to prosecute him, not the FRSC. The POS system meant for payments during the court session was faulty, so the money was collected and put into the state judiciary’s coffers,” Hamzat explained.
He criticised Collins for allegedly taking the matter to social media instead of contacting the sector commander or writing to the judiciary for clarification. “I see him as peddling propaganda. If he is dissatisfied with the explanations, he can take the matter further,” Hamzat added.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER
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