Nigerian Journalist Brutalizes By FRSC Personnel In FCT

Personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), FCT Sector Command, on Wednesday, brutalized a Defence Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Johnson Eyiangho, at the command`s office in Zone 7, Abuja.

The officers beat up Eyiangho at about 11: 15 a.m. when he was assigned to cover the fracas between the FRSC personnel and officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) who had gone there to seal the corps’ premises for noncompliance with environmental laws.

An argument ensued between personnel of the corps and the AEPB officials which suddenly degenerated to a free for all.

Eyiangho said that as he alighted from the NAN official vehicle that conveyed him and the agency`s photographer to the scene of the incident, some FRSC personnel descended on him and beat him thoroughly.

“The FRSC operatives also tore my shirt, inflicted bruises and deep cuts on my left leg, and summarily seized and destroyed my cell phone and voice recorder,” he said.

He also said that the personnel of the corps did not spare any journalist who came to cover the incident.

“I have never received such a beating in my life; every person of the corps at the scene of the incident was raining punches on me and shouting 'take him away'."

“I was detained for several hours under an inhuman condition in one of the corps’ offices after the thorough beating."

“One of the personnel, believed to be the Provost, supervised the beating and ordered that no one should allow me to go."

“He personally seized my identification card, a voice recorder and a cell phone,” he said.

The Public Education Officer of the corps, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, instructed that Mr Eyiangho is taken to the FRSC hospital in Gwarinpa for treatment.

Kazeem also promised that the matter would be investigated for appropriate action.