The Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, has said  the personnel of the Corps would soon bear arms for their protection while on duty on the roads.

Oyeyemi, who revealed this in Abuja, explained that already an approval has been given and about 5000 FRSC personnel have been trained on arms-bearing by the Nigerian Army.

He said the final stage of arms procurement was in progress, adding that it had become imperative for FRSC personnel to  bear arms for their protection.

Due to the hazards the personnel are daily exposed to in the course of discharging their statutory responsibilities, he said, the FRSC management cannot continue to be asking the Inspector General of Police to always provide them with security, as the Nigeria Police Force has multi-faceted responsibilities to carry out in the nation.

Speaking further on the need for motorists to strictly adhere to speed limit, the FRSC boss said over-speeding accounts for about 60 per cent of road crashes in the country.

He explained that in 2014, 46 per cent of the road crashes was caused by over-speeding, while in 2015, it stood at 50.6per cent.

To this end, Oyeyemi appealed to motorists to always carry out safety checks on their vehicles as well as ensure the road worthiness of their vehicles to mitigate the spate of road crashes across the country.

He further blamed vandalism as being responsible for the absence of road furniture and signs, adding that the Corps in partnership with the Ministry of Works, Housing and Power would provide necessary furniture on the roads before the end of the year.

He also called for attitudinal change among all road users to reduce the rate of accidents on the roads.