A mobile court in Calabar, Cross River State, has convicted 34 persons for traffic-related offences, including attempted inducement of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officials.

The offenders were brought before Magistrate Abigail Asuquo on Wednesday, following their arrest and charges filed by FRSC prosecutor, Presley Orhue.

Delivering her judgment, Asuquo noted that all the accused pleaded guilty to the charges. She ruled that each offender, who attempted to bribe a Marshal on duty had the option of a one-week prison term or a fine of N10,000 as per the statutory penalties for corruption-related traffic offences.

Other traffic violators incurred financial penalties as well. Motorists caught driving without a valid licence or with overloaded vehicles were fined N10,000 each. Those not wearing seatbelts were fined N2,000 and drivers without the mandatory speed limiting device were fined N3,000.

After the court session, FRSC Commander in Cross River, Innocent Etuk, condemned any attempt to corrupt FRSC personnel. He reiterated the Corps’ commitment to integrity and zero tolerance for bribery, warning that they would prosecute and jail anyone attempting to compromise their patrol teams.

Etuk urged road users to adhere to traffic laws, emphasising that compliance would support the Corps’ 2025 strategic objective of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 10 per cent.

He also called attention to the dangers of common infractions, such as vehicle overloading, failure to use seatbelts and phone use while driving, stressing that these contribute significantly to road accidents.

The mobile court sitting followed an earlier request by the Cross River Sector Command of the FRSC to the state’s Chief Judge for the establishment of a special traffic court.

That request, made under the authority of Section 10(8) of the FRSC Establishment Act of 2007, was granted, leading to the creation of the mobile court aimed at accelerating the trial of traffic offenders.