‎Edo FRSC Command denies tear-gassing passenger bus

Jethro Ibileke/Benin
‎

The Edo Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has denied an allegation by a sick passenger in a commercial bus that its operatives opened a canister of tear gas ‎on passengers of the bus.

A passenger in the unidentified commercial bus, Miss Blessing Elawaremu, who was among the several passengers returning from the just‎ concluded convention of the Redeem Christian Church, (RCC), Lagos, had on
Wednesday alleged she became unconscious after FRSC officials tear-gassed the bus in which they were travelling in from Lagos on Sunday.

The Commander of the Owan-Esigie unit Command of the FRSC, Amosu Adelaja, who made the denial while speaking with journalists in Benin, said there was no iota of truth in the passenger’s allegation.

According to him, the driver of the bus, in an attempt to escape after been flagged down at the toll, gate near its office by officials of the Corps last Sunday, hit the FRSC patrol van and broke one of its rear mirror in the
process.

“My men thereafter impounded the vehicle while the passengers milled round the entrance gate of our office pleading for forgiveness as the officials were trying to book the driver.

“It was at that point that one of the female passengers slumped but‎ was revived by a Nigerian-British Military medical personnel who was at the office at the time.

“We immediately used our ambulance to convey her to the nearest New-Life Clinic located at No. I9 New Benin. It was while we were still on our normal operational duties that we got calls from some senior pastors pleading for the release of the vehicle saying most of the passengers were exhausted from the long journey and fast from a church program they just attended in Lagos.

“We did all we could on humanitarian ground after cautioning the driver. We did a follow up by going back on Monday to the hospital where they confirmed the patient was certified okay and discharged.

“FRSC officials do not carry tear gas and I do not know where the story of tear gas emanated from at all,” Adelaja said.