The Federal Road Safety Corps has prosecuted 33 road traffic offenders in a mobile court sitting in Mbak Itam, Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Thirty-two offenders were said to have violated traffic rules including possession of fake driving licence.
A Mack truck driver, Joshua Gabriel, with registration number, Lagos FK 562XH, was sentenced to one year imprisonment for driving dangerously along Itu-Calabar Highway with hard labour without an option of a fine.
The presiding magistrate, Glory Udonna, who delivered judgment on Gabriel’s case on Friday, said Gabriel’s action contravened section 21 of the Federal Road Safety Act for driving dangerously on a federal high way.
The magistrate explained that before Gabriel proceeded on his jail term, he had to pay a fine of N10, 000 for the owner of Jetta saloon car he vandalised while trying to escape.
Udonna added that Gabriel would also pay another fine of N10, 000 for the repair of a motorbike he damaged by his reckless and dangerous driving.
The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mrs. Cecilia Aloa, said the truck driver refused to stop when he was flagged down by her men, who were on routine check.
She revealed that Gabriel drove away with one of their officers, who had tried to stop him.
According to her, if not for the assistance of police and other security agencies who were on contacted, Gabriel would take the officer along with him.
“Upon this, we followed him to Ikono, another local government area, which is about 40 or more minutes from where we stood in Itu. When the police joined the queue to chase him, he abandoned the truck and ran into a woman house and hid under the bed.
“And when the riot policemen chased him to under the bed where he hid, he picked up a machete to strike one of the policemen, who overpowered him and collected the machete from him.
“Besides this, majority of those we apprehended, their main offence is driver’s licence violation. Most of them are still carrying fake licences despite the public education we did on both print and electronic media.
“People should go and obtain their licence through the right procedure; the right procedure is not for you to sit down in your homes or offices or at the park and the licence be brought to you. The right procedure is for you to go to the driving licensing centre where your biometric will be taken,” she said.
Gabriel stated that he did not know what to say after a mistake had been made. He said he had been a good user of the road, but could not tell what came over him to act the way he did.
“In life, there is something that will happen and you do not know what caused it. Something that happened now, I don’t know what caused it.
“Since I have been plying this road, I have been a good user of this road, but I was just coming from burial yesterday, I do not know what the real cause is.
“There was nothing that motivated me, but I am still pleading. Please, beg her for me. I need your help in this matter,” he said.
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