Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has the powers to enforce traffic rules on all public roads.
The Wednesday judgment delivered in favour of the corps resulted from 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 newsmen, the plaintiff claimed he was apprehended by FRSC operatives at ECWA Junction, Wuse II, Abuja and they impounded his Peugeot 306 car on May 6, 2019.
He further stated that the agency lacked the power to enforce traffic law on the road not stipulated in the FRSC (Establishment) Act.
Meanwhile, Justice Chikere 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 declared that FRSC is empowered to arrest and prosecute anybody found to violate traffic rules on any public road.
Citing section 35 of the FRSC Act, the judge held that the 2nd defendant can impound any vehicle found to have committed any offence in the Act.
Confirming the court’s ruling, the spokesperson of the FRSC, Bisi Kazeem said Mr Abu did sue 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 told newsmen in a telephone interview.
