The Federal High Court in Kano State has ruled that the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has no legal authority to operate on state and local government roads.
Justice M. S. Shuaibu delivered the judgment on Thursday, declaring unlawful the commission’s activities on township roads within Kano metropolis.
A Kano-based lawyer, Abba Hikima, Esq., had instituted the case.
Hikima challenged the legality of the commission’s operations after he was stopped by FRSC operatives on a township road.
In his judgment, Justice Shuaibu held that FRSC officers’ action violated the applicant’s constitutional rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Granting all reliefs the plaintiff demanded, the court ordered the commission to publish a public apology to the applicant in a national newspaper for violating his constitutional rights.
Additionally, it awarded N800,000 as damages and costs against the FRSC in favour of the applicant.
