A man, Adeshina Adeyemo, who assaulted a personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), stripped himself and destroyed an FRSC patrol van the Benin/Sapele Road on July 16, 2020, has been sentenced to three months in jail by a Magistrates’ Court sitting in Beni, the Edo State capital on Monday, January 11, 2021.
According to the spokesperson of FRSC, Bisi Kazeem, Adeyemo was arraigned with a case file number MEV/117C/2020 before Senior Magistrate F. Ojehumen, of the Evbuoriaria Magistrate Court B on a two-count charge bordering on conducting himself in a manner likely to cause breach of public peace and for maliciously damaging FRSC patrol vehicle during patrol operations.
Giving judgment on the matter, the defendant was found guilty as charged, but in line with the 2019 sentencing guidelines, the Magistrate noted that he was entitled to Allocutus, as such, the sentence was mitigated.
On the first count charge, the accused is to pay the sum of #5000 or one month imprisonment, and #41,000 or two months imprisonment for the second charge and both sentence are to run concurrently.
The defendant, who failed to meet the option of fine has been taken into custody at the Nigeria Correctional Service in Benin City.
Explaining why he was prosecuted, Kazeem recalled that the rider, who was apprehended for committing the offences of driving against traffic, driving without a valid driver,s licence, and under the influence of alcohol, went berserk at the point of arrest.
He was said to have stripped himself naked, and started throwing objects at both personnel and the patrol vehicle.
At a point, he started dragging patrol operatives, damaging their uniforms.
The act of incivility and disrespect to public officers saw him vandalise the windscreen of the patrol car and damage the bonnet and other body parts with mud and stone.
He was finally arrested, detained in Etete police station, and later charged to court.
Reacting to the judgement, the Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, commended the judiciary for quick dispensation of justice, noting that this like other judgements is an indication and strong warning to perpetrator that no member of the public who damages FRSC property, no matter how small will be spared.
