The Federal Road Safety Corps’ RS6 command has directed personnel not to lead political convoys or provide escorts during campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, limiting officers deployed around campaign venues to traffic management and road-safety duties.
The directive was issued by RS6 Zonal Commanding Officer Abimbola Owolabi during a visit to the Cross River State Command in Calabar.
Owolabi also directed that patrol vehicles and sirens should not be used for unauthorised political activities or private engagements.
Officers deployed around campaign events, she said, should concentrate on controlling traffic, reducing congestion and preventing road crashes.
The available evidence supports the instruction as an RS6 zonal directive. It should not be presented as a nationwide FRSC headquarters order unless the corps separately confirms national application.
Road safety, not political escort duty
The directive draws a clearer operational boundary around the role of FRSC personnel during political activities.
Rather than becoming part of political convoy movements, officers deployed around rallies and campaign events are expected to focus on road users, traffic flow and crash prevention.
That distinction matters because FRSC patrol vehicles, sirens and uniformed personnel carry public authority.
Using those resources for political escort activity could blur the line between the corps’ public-safety responsibilities and partisan campaign operations.
The directive therefore places the immediate public-interest focus on whether campaign-related traffic can be managed without drawing road-safety personnel into convoy duties.
Patrol vehicles and sirens restricted
Owolabi also warned against the unauthorised use of FRSC operational vehicles and sirens for political and private engagements.
The instruction extends beyond convoy leadership to how public road-safety assets are deployed.
She also warned personnel against extortion, corruption and other forms of misconduct and called for professionalism in dealings with motorists.
The zonal commander further emphasised emergency response, rescue operations and highway patrols aimed at reducing crashes and fatalities.
The accountability test
The next test is enforcement.
As political activity ahead of the 2027 elections increases, the public will be able to judge whether FRSC personnel within the affected command remain outside political escort operations and whether patrol vehicles and sirens are used strictly for authorised road-safety functions.
Any alleged breach would require separate verification before responsibility is assigned to individual officers or commands.
For now, the verified position is narrow:
Within RS6, personnel have been directed not to lead political convoys or provide political escorts, while officers deployed around campaign events are expected to concentrate on traffic management and road safety.
The directive should not be described as a nationwide FRSC ban unless headquarters confirms that scope.
