The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Evelyn Maha, has issued an order prohibiting the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, popularly known as the Vehicle Inspection Office(VIO) from stopping, impounding, or confiscating vehicles on Nigerian roads.
The court also restrained the VIO from imposing fines on motorists, declaring such actions to be unlawful and without legal basis.
The ruling, delivered on October 2, followed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by human rights lawyer Abubakar Marshal.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023, Marshal contended that the VIO and its officials have no statutory power to stop vehicles, impound them, or fine motorists, and that such actions violate motorists’ fundamental rights to fair hearing, freedom of movement, and presumption of innocence.
Justice Maha agreed with the applicant’s arguments, declaring that the actions of the VIO were not supported by any law.
In response to the suit, the court issued a perpetual injunction, permanently barring the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, its officials, and agents from continuing these practices.
The ruling protects Nigerians’ rights to freedom of movement and property ownership, emphasising the importance of upholding the presumption of innocence.
The lawsuit named several respondents, including the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, its Director, Mr. Leo, and other key officials, as well as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Justice Maha’s judgment highlights that any further actions by these parties to stop, impound, or fine motorists would be considered oppressive, unlawful, and in violation of fundamental human rights under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.