On Monday, the Court of Appeal in Asaba, Delta State affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Warri, which ruled that the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is only authorized to operate on federal roads.
The Court of Appeal panel, in the case with suit number CA/AS/276/2019: FRSC Vs Darlington Ehikim, dismissed the appeal filed by the FRSC challenging the judgment of Justice E. Nwite of the Federal High Court in Warri.
In the initial judgment on January 25, 2019, the Federal High Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, a member of the NBA Warri, granting all the reliefs sought. This included a declaration that the FRSC has no authority to operate or engage in any activities on state and local government roads.
The trial court also issued restraining orders against the FRSC, prohibiting them from operating on roads other than federal highways, and awarded a cost of N10 million against the FRSC.
Mr. Kunle Edun, the lawyer representing the plaintiff, praised both the trial and appellate courts for upholding the correct interpretation of the law.
He stated that as a result of the Court of Appeal’s judgment, FRSC personnel have no right to be on roads within cities and towns, except for federal highways. Their operations on such roads, primarily aimed at extorting road users, are deemed illegal.
Edun further emphasized that the judgment reaffirms the federal structure of the country, as the FRSC, being a federal agency, should only be concerned with federal roads.