The bill has passed the second reading.
Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has reacted to the news that the House of Representatives is moving to pass a bill that would allow Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officials to carry guns.
Burdened by the potential dangers of the bill, the actress took to X on October 14, 2024, to address the topic, highlighting the already existing battle against police brutality.
“We are still dealing with police brutality every now and then. Now, they want to add road safety. Who will protect the citizens?” She wrote, voicing her disapproval.
Henshaw’s followers took to the comment section to voice their agreement with her stance, stressing their displeasure with the bill.
“Lowkey, it’s the FG rebranding and re-equipping the FRSC as Sars in disguise. There’ll be no difference. We must speak against it,” an X user wrote.
Another follower commented, “It’s tactics; they don’t have the numbers in the police force again and nobody is really applying for recruitment, so incase there is protest outburst,Road Safety will be added to the force to combat with it. It’s a strategy i guess bcos no meaningful reason to arm Road Safety.”
The bill sponsored by Rep. Abiodun Derin Adesida and Rep. Olaide Lateef Muhammed seeks to amend the FRSC Act, 2007 to provide for the establishment of the FRSC Special Armed Squad. The bill also aims at other provisions to make the agency operate better, and now it has been passed for a second reading in the House of Representatives.
In another post, Henshaw wrote, “We are still standing at a time when our reality is meant to break us. But in the face of extreme hardship and purposeless leadership, we are still able to keep moving. We can’t give up, and we can’t stop trying. That is the resilience of the Nigerian spirit. In the young people of Nigeria, there is yet untapped energy for a different world.” – Jude Ilo @thoughtsandmace.