Federal High Court Justice Anwuli Chikere in Abuja ruled that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has the competences to impose traffic laws on all public roads.
The judgment delivered on Wednesday in favor of the corps was the outcome of a suit filed by one Pius Abu.
Mr Abu had accused the FRSC of wrongfully impounding his car for using a telephone and subsequently impounding his car in Abuja in May 2019.
According to the PUNCH newspaper, the complainant alleged that he had been arrested at ECWA Junction, Wuse II, Abuja by FRSC operatives and impounded his Peugeot 306 car on 6 May 2019.
He further claimed that the agency lacked the power to enforce road traffic law not provided for in the FRSC (Establishment) Act.
Justice Chikere has, meanwhile, ruled that “It is wrong to limit the enforcement of the traffic rules to the roads listed in the Federal Road Safety Corps (Establishment) Act when the Act gives the 2nd defendant (FRSC) to enforce the traffic rules on all public roads in other legislations.”
She also stated that FRSC is empowered to arrest and prosecute anyone found to breach any public road traffic laws.
Citing section 35 of the FRSC Act, the judge ruled that any vehicle found to have committed any crime in the Law may be levied by the second defendant.
Confirming the ruling of the court, the FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem said Mr Abu had sued the agency but the court ruled against him.
“This is the second time a court will uphold this. The first one was at a court of a higher jurisdiction, Court of Appeal. We keep telling people that FRSC has the right but they won’t just listen,” he said.