The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has described a viral video showing a tricycle rider confronting its officers in Benin as an “old incident.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Olusegun Ogungbemide, the FRSC spokesperson, said the viral footage was recorded on July 16, 2020, on the Benin–Sapele road and had long been resolved.
He said resharing the old video clip was a deliberate attempt by mischief-makers to attract online traffic.
“The attention of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has been drawn to a viral video currently circulating on social media platforms showing a tricycle rider, unclad, violently confronting operatives of the Corps and damaging a patrol vehicle along the Benin–Sapele Road in Edo State,” the statement reads.
“The recirculation is a calculated act by mischievous handlers whose intent is nothing but to attract traffic to their social media pages, misinform the public, and stir unnecessary emotions over a matter that has long been resolved.”
Ogungbemide said the tricycle rider, identified as Adeshine Adeyemo, was arraigned before F. Ojehumen, chief magistrate of the Evbuoriaria Magistrate Court in Benin, under case number MEV/117C/2020.
Ogungbemide said Adeyemo was convicted on January 11, 2021, and handed a three-month jail term for malicious damage and breach of the public peace.
He added that the FRSC also convened an internal panel to probe the conduct of the officers captured in the video.
“After due process, the seven-man patrol team was tried and sanctioned with a reduction in rank for unprofessional and unethical behaviour during the encounter,” the spokesperson said.
“They were also redeployed from their previous command in line with the Corps’ zero-tolerance posture against incivility and misconduct.”
Ogungbemide said while the FRSC will not condone assaults on its personnel, it will equally punish any officer found guilty of misconduct.
He added that circulating the old video risks misleading unsuspecting Nigerians into believing the incident happened recently.
“The FRSC therefore urges the general public to disregard the video as an old story, already addressed comprehensively through judicial conviction of the offender and disciplinary sanctions on the staff involved,” he said.
Ogungbemide reaffirmed the corps’ commitment to safer roads and to improving its engagement with motorists.
He also appealed to Nigerians to cooperate with law enforcement officers and assured that the FRSC will continue to uphold professionalism and respect for human dignity.
