Police, FRSC roadblocks, avenue for extortion – Survey

A road safety survey has shown roadblocks as an avenue for extortion of motorists by security personnel, including policemen and Federal Road Safety Corps personnel.
The survey conducted by The CLEEN Foundation, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corp, noted that respondents admitted that they were asked to give bribes by security operatives at roadblocks.
According to the report which was presented to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, apart from the police, FRSC and Vehicle Inspection Officials were listed as agencies that demand bribes from motorists on the pretext of checking drivers license.
Part of the findings of the survey showed that 28 per cent of motorists stopped by the FRSC for their licenses were asked to pay bribes, while 41 per cent of motorists stopped by the police were also extorted.
Out of 28 per cent of respondent arrested for not holding valid drivers license, 22 per cent claimed they paid bribes before leaving the station while 58 per cent said they paid fines.
The survey reads, “Most of the respondents who paid bribes said they did so out of fear of being arrested or having their vehicles impounded.
“However  57 per cent of the respondents said they would not report if they were asked for bribes while applying for their drivers’ license because nothing would be done with the report.”
Executive director of CLEEN, Kemi Okenyodo, said the aim of the survey was to collect information on drivers license application with a view to eliminating low level corruption and sensitise Nigerians on the correct procedure for obtaining drivers license.