Abubakar Yakubu
22 July 2008
As the insurance check squad made up of the police, the VIO and the Road Safety Corps commences enforcement checks today on valid motor insurance covers, the Acting FCT Police Commissioner, Mr Mike Ehidiamen has called on Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to give the squad maximum support in the execution of their task.
Speaking when he addressed all DPOs in the FCT in the presence of visiting representatives of Insurance companies and the SERVICOM One Stop Claims shop for Motor vehicle insurance (OSCAR) implementation team at the FCT command headquarters, Mr Ehidiamen said the police owed it a duty to Nigerians to ensure their protection under the third party motor insurance act.
The squad, he said would stop vehicles and check to confirm that the third party insurance was genuine. Those with fake insurance would have their vehicle stopped while they go to acquire the genuine one and have their vehicles released when they present the genuine insurance. No offender is expected to pay any fine apart from securing the genuine policy.
Mr Ehidiamen said policing was changing for the better as the force was now focussing on community policing which involves the people more in all of its activities.
He said the squad would be operating in all parts of the FCT and directed the DPOs not only to monitor their activities but to give them the needed support to succeed.
The acting police commissioner was optimistic that the work of the squad would increase the use of genuine insurance by motorists and he assured the OSCAR team that the police in the FCT would continue to support its activities through the preparation of police accident reports on time to enable victims make claims.
In their respective remarks, representatives of the insurance companies assured the police that they would honour reports made by them concerning any accident but called for quick availability of such reports to assist them process claims on time.
On delay and sometimes outright failure to pay claims, the representatives said the insurance sector in the country was changing for the better and that there was no insurance company now that would refuse to honour its contractual agreement.
The SERVICOM Road Safety Advisor, Mr Joshua Umukoro, in his remarks said the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) was empowered to bring erring insurance companies to book and urged those with complains concerning their third party insurance to take them to OSCAR for assistance.
He said OSCAR was established to assist accident victims to secure insurance claims promptly.
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