The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court ruling that bars the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), popularly known as VIO, from stopping vehicles, impounding them, or imposing fines on motorists. The appellate court says the agency has no legal power to enforce such actions on the road.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal dismissed the VIO’s appeal and resolved all issues against the agency. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi rules that the appeal lacks merit. The court also awards a cost of ₦1 million against the VIO and in favour of Abuja-based rights activist and public-interest lawyer, Abubakar Marshal.
Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court had earlier declared that no law empowers the VIO to stop, seize, confiscate, or fine motorists for any traffic-related violation. That judgment followed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Marshal, who told the court that VIO officials forcefully stopped him at Jabi, Abuja, on December 12, 2023, and unlawfully confiscated his vehicle.
Mediaplusng.com adds that Marshal asked the court to rule on whether the actions of the VIO officials were not oppressive, unlawful, and a violation of his fundamental rights. The court agreed, granting all his reliefs and issuing a clear order stopping the agency and its officers from impounding vehicles or imposing fines on any road user.
With the Appeal Court now affirming the judgment, the ruling strengthens the legal position that VIO officials cannot carry out roadside arrests or impose penalties.
