Court Sentences Truck Driver To Life Imprisonment For Killing FRSC Marshal On Duty

A truck driver, Okpara Kingsley Onyekachi, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a serving Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) marshal while on lawful duty, a development the Corps described as a landmark victory for justice and road safety enforcement in Nigeria.

In a statement issued by the FRSC, signed by Olusegun Ogungbemide, Assistant Corps Marshal and Corps Public Education Officer, and released from FRSC Headquarters, Abuja, on February 5, 2026, the Corps said the judgement was delivered on Tuesday, January 14, 2026, by the High Court of Lagos State (TBS Division) in Suit No. LD/24692C/2024 – The State v. Okpara Kingsley Onyekachi.

According to the FRSC, the case arose from “a fatal road crash that claimed the life of an FRSC officer who was lawfully on duty.”

The Corps explained that the incident occurred on November 16, 2023, at Orile-Iganmu, Lagos State, while an FRSC patrol team was conducting routine traffic enforcement.

The statement said investigations revealed that the defendant, “driving a 40-feet container-laden truck at excessive speed, failed to exercise due care and rammed into a stationary mini truck that had been flagged down for inspection.”

FRSC stated that the impact “crushed Deputy Chief Road Marshal Assistant Ajomale, a personnel actively discharging official duties, leading to fatal injuries.”

The court, it added, found the driver’s conduct to be “grossly negligent, reckless, and unlawful,” rejected any claim of accident, and convicted him of involuntary manslaughter.

“The Court convicted him of involuntary manslaughter, thereby sentencing him to life imprisonment under the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” the Corps said.

Reacting to the judgement, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, described the ruling as one that “sends a loud, unmistakable message to all drivers, particularly operators of heavy-duty vehicles, that recklessness on our roads will no longer be tolerated.”

He added that “when a life is lost due to gross negligence, especially the life of an officer on lawful duty, the law will take its full course,” stressing that the Corps would “continue to pursue justice relentlessly for every fallen officer and every innocent road user.”

The Corps Marshal further emphasised that the FRSC would intensify “enforcement, prosecution support, and stakeholder collaboration to curb dangerous driving behaviours,” warning that drivers who disregard traffic regulations and endanger lives “should expect severe legal consequences.”

FRSC also stated that it “will not relent in its commitment to safeguarding Nigerian roads,” noting that the entire management and staff of the Corps honoured the memory of DCRM Ajomale, whose sacrifice, it said, “stands as a solemn reminder of the risks faced daily by road safety personnel in the line of duty.”