Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order prohibiting the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (VIO) from stopping, impounding, or confiscating vehicles on public roads. The ruling, delivered on October 2, also bars the VIO from imposing fines on motorists.
The judgment followed a suit filed by human rights lawyer Abubakar Marshal, who challenged the legal authority of the VIO to carry out these actions. Justice Maha ruled in favor of the applicant, stating that the VIO and its officials have no legal basis to stop or confiscate vehicles or to levy fines against motorists.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023, named the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, its Director, Mr. Leo, and other officials of the VIO, alongside the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, as respondents. In his application, Marshal argued that the actions of the VIO violated motorists’ fundamental rights, including their right to fair hearing, freedom of movement, and presumption of innocence, under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The court, in its judgment, agreed with Marshal’s claims, declaring the VIO’s actions unlawful and oppressive. Justice Maha issued a perpetual injunction, preventing the VIO and its agents from stopping vehicles, impounding them, or imposing fines on motorists. The court emphasized that such actions violated the fundamental rights of Nigerians, particularly their freedom of movement and right to property.
