The Federal Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has not indicted or blacklisted any major transport operator in the country for accident-related issue.

Mr. Bisi Kazeem, head, Media and Strategy, FRSC, made the clarification on Wednesday while reacting to a report that the corps had blacklisted Peace Mass Transit for its involvement in accidents.

Kazeem, however, admitted that the company was involved in 10 accidents in the last six months, which claimed 22 lives, and not 37 as alleged in some quarters.

He said the FRSC had interfaced with the PMT on the incident.

“The essence of this clarification is just to make Nigerians know that, contrary to the way it was reported, FRSC never indicted PMT and FRSC never blacklisted PMT.

“It was a routine interface when we noticed upsurge in road traffic accidents involving PMT and which is not limited to them.

“We came out with statistics to show that about 22 people were killed (in accident involving PMT) in recent times.

“But, unfortunately, when we sent the press release out, there was an error where 37 were mentioned. It is actually 22.

“As a responsible and responsive organisation, we felt, we should correct the mistake because we are not here to spoil business for anybody. Our own concern is safety and the way forward,’’ Kazeem said.

According to him, “once we – FRSC observe a trend, may be a particular fleet operator is getting more involved in crashes than expected where more lives are being lost such organisation is invited”.

He explained that, that was being done through a department in the corps’ Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme (RTSSS) being supervised by the Corps Transport Standardisation Officer (CTSO).

“So, having known through our record through the RTSSS that Peace Mass Transit of recent have been getting involved in accidents with some lives lost, a letter of invitation was sent to them,’’ he said.

Kazeem said that other fleet operators had been invited in the past to give reason for their incessant involvement in accidents.