Court Restrains FRSC From Operating On State Roads

Thursday July 16, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng

A Federal High Court in Kano has ruled that the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has no legal authority to enforce traffic regulations on roads under the control of state and local governments.

In its judgment delivered on Thursday, the court held that the commission’s operations on roads within the Kano metropolis were unlawful and amounted to a violation of citizens’ fundamental rights.

Justice M. S. Shuaibu, who presided over the case instituted by Kano-based lawyer, Abba Hikima, ruled that FRSC personnel exceeded the powers granted to them when they stopped, questioned and delayed motorists on township roads in July 2025.

The court found that the actions of the commission breached the rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

Justice Shuaibu granted the key reliefs sought by the applicant, including a perpetual injunction restraining FRSC officials from stopping, harassing or interfering with motorists on Kano State roads without lawful authority.

The court also directed the commission to publish a public apology in a national newspaper and awarded the applicant N800,000 as damages and litigation costs.

The suit stemmed from an incident in July 2025 when FRSC operatives mounted checkpoints on township roads across Kano and stopped motorists, including Hikima, requesting driver’s licences and questioning them despite the absence of any alleged traffic offence.

Dissatisfied with the action, the lawyer approached the Federal High Court, arguing that his fundamental rights had been violated.

Hikima maintained that the FRSC’s enabling law empowers the agency to operate only on federal highways and does not extend its jurisdiction to roads under the control of state or local governments.

DAILY TRUST