diff --git a/sys/net/route.c b/sys/net/route.c
index 9ffaf9570a26..a39b7da64d5f 100644
--- a/sys/net/route.c
+++ b/sys/net/route.c
@@ -603,6 +603,18 @@ rtfree(struct rtentry *rt)
 	RT_UNLOCK(rt);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Temporary RTFREE() function wrapper.
+ *  Intended to use in control plane code to
+ *  avoid exposing internal layout of 'struct rtentry'.
+ */
+void
+rtfree_func(struct rtentry *rt)
+{
+
+	RTFREE(rt);
+}
+
 /*
  * Adds a temporal redirect entry to the routing table.
  * @fibnum: fib number
diff --git a/sys/net/route.h b/sys/net/route.h
index 4bdb6e84389e..5d22f6835032 100644
--- a/sys/net/route.h
+++ b/sys/net/route.h
@@ -422,6 +422,8 @@ struct rt_addrinfo {
 	RTFREE_LOCKED(_rt);					\
 } while (0)
 
+#define	RTFREE_FUNC(_rt)	rtfree_func(_rt)
+
 #define	RO_RTFREE(_ro) do {					\
 	if ((_ro)->ro_rt)					\
 		RTFREE((_ro)->ro_rt);				\
@@ -482,6 +484,7 @@ int	rtsock_routemsg_info(int, struct rt_addrinfo *, int);
  */
 
 void	 rtfree(struct rtentry *);
+void	 rtfree_func(struct rtentry *);
 void	rt_updatemtu(struct ifnet *);
 
 typedef int rt_walktree_f_t(struct rtentry *, void *);
diff --git a/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c b/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c
index 2df7cca5b4b4..2fcf16e75d31 100644
--- a/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c
+++ b/sys/netinet6/nd6_rtr.c
@@ -603,14 +603,6 @@ nd6_ra_input(struct mbuf *m, int off, int icmp6len)
 	m_freem(m);
 }
 
-/* tell the change to user processes watching the routing socket. */
-static void
-nd6_rtmsg(int cmd, struct rtentry *rt)
-{
-
-	rt_routemsg(cmd, rt, rt->rt_ifp, 0, rt->rt_fibnum);
-}
-
 /* PFXRTR */
 static struct nd_pfxrouter *
 pfxrtr_lookup(struct nd_prefix *pr, struct nd_defrouter *dr)
@@ -681,6 +673,7 @@ defrouter_addreq(struct nd_defrouter *new)
 {
 	struct sockaddr_in6 def, mask, gate;
 	struct rtentry *newrt = NULL;
+	unsigned int fibnum;
 	int error;
 
 	bzero(&def, sizeof(def));
@@ -691,13 +684,14 @@ defrouter_addreq(struct nd_defrouter *new)
 	    sizeof(struct sockaddr_in6);
 	def.sin6_family = gate.sin6_family = AF_INET6;
 	gate.sin6_addr = new->rtaddr;
+	fibnum = new->ifp->if_fib;
 
 	error = in6_rtrequest(RTM_ADD, (struct sockaddr *)&def,
 	    (struct sockaddr *)&gate, (struct sockaddr *)&mask,
-	    RTF_GATEWAY, &newrt, new->ifp->if_fib);
+	    RTF_GATEWAY, &newrt, fibnum);
 	if (newrt) {
-		nd6_rtmsg(RTM_ADD, newrt); /* tell user process */
-		RTFREE(newrt);
+		rt_routemsg(RTM_ADD, newrt, new->ifp, 0, fibnum);
+		RTFREE_FUNC(newrt);
 	}
 	if (error == 0)
 		new->installed = 1;
@@ -713,6 +707,7 @@ defrouter_delreq(struct nd_defrouter *dr)
 {
 	struct sockaddr_in6 def, mask, gate;
 	struct rtentry *oldrt = NULL;
+	unsigned int fibnum;
 
 	bzero(&def, sizeof(def));
 	bzero(&mask, sizeof(mask));
@@ -722,13 +717,14 @@ defrouter_delreq(struct nd_defrouter *dr)
 	    sizeof(struct sockaddr_in6);
 	def.sin6_family = gate.sin6_family = AF_INET6;
 	gate.sin6_addr = dr->rtaddr;
+	fibnum = dr->ifp->if_fib;
 
 	in6_rtrequest(RTM_DELETE, (struct sockaddr *)&def,
 	    (struct sockaddr *)&gate,
-	    (struct sockaddr *)&mask, RTF_GATEWAY, &oldrt, dr->ifp->if_fib);
+	    (struct sockaddr *)&mask, RTF_GATEWAY, &oldrt, fibnum);
 	if (oldrt) {
-		nd6_rtmsg(RTM_DELETE, oldrt);
-		RTFREE(oldrt);
+		rt_routemsg(RTM_DELETE, oldrt, dr->ifp, 0, fibnum);
+		RTFREE_FUNC(oldrt);
 	}
 
 	dr->installed = 0;
@@ -2044,15 +2040,7 @@ nd6_prefix_onlink_rtrequest(struct nd_prefix *pr, struct ifaddr *ifa)
 		error = in6_rtrequest(RTM_ADD,
 		    (struct sockaddr *)&pr->ndpr_prefix, (struct sockaddr *)&sdl,
 		    (struct sockaddr *)&mask6, rtflags, &rt, fibnum);
-		if (error == 0) {
-			KASSERT(rt != NULL, ("%s: in6_rtrequest return no "
-			    "error(%d) but rt is NULL, pr=%p, ifa=%p", __func__,
-			    error, pr, ifa));
-			RT_LOCK(rt);
-			nd6_rtmsg(RTM_ADD, rt);
-			RT_UNLOCK(rt);
-			pr->ndpr_stateflags |= NDPRF_ONLINK;
-		} else {
+		if (error != 0) {
 			char ip6buf[INET6_ADDRSTRLEN];
 			char ip6bufg[INET6_ADDRSTRLEN];
 			char ip6bufm[INET6_ADDRSTRLEN];
@@ -2070,13 +2058,12 @@ nd6_prefix_onlink_rtrequest(struct nd_prefix *pr, struct ifaddr *ifa)
 
 			/* Save last error to return, see rtinit(). */
 			a_failure = error;
+			continue;
 		}
 
-		if (rt != NULL) {
-			RT_LOCK(rt);
-			RT_REMREF(rt);
-			RT_UNLOCK(rt);
-		}
+		pr->ndpr_stateflags |= NDPRF_ONLINK;
+		rt_routemsg(RTM_ADD, rt, pr->ndpr_ifp, 0, fibnum);
+		RTFREE_FUNC(rt);
 	}
 
 	/* Return the last error we got. */
@@ -2209,17 +2196,15 @@ nd6_prefix_offlink(struct nd_prefix *pr)
 		rt = NULL;
 		error = in6_rtrequest(RTM_DELETE, (struct sockaddr *)&sa6, NULL,
 		    (struct sockaddr *)&mask6, 0, &rt, fibnum);
-		if (error == 0) {
-			/* report the route deletion to the routing socket. */
-			if (rt != NULL)
-				nd6_rtmsg(RTM_DELETE, rt);
-		} else {
+		if (error != 0) {
 			/* Save last error to return, see rtinit(). */
 			a_failure = error;
+			continue;
 		}
-		if (rt != NULL) {
-			RTFREE(rt);
-		}
+
+		/* report route deletion to the routing socket. */
+		rt_routemsg(RTM_DELETE, rt, ifp, 0, fibnum);
+		RTFREE_FUNC(rt);
 	}
 	error = a_failure;
 	a_failure = 1;