Court Restrains FRSC from Routine Operations on Kano Township Roads

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has ruled that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has no constitutional or statutory authority to conduct routine enforcement operations on township roads in Kano State, declaring that such actions violate the fundamental rights of motorists.

Justice M.S. Shuaibu delivered the judgment in a fundamental rights enforcement suit instituted by a Kano-based legal practitioner, Abba Hikima, against the FRSC and its Kano State Command. The suit challenged the legality of the corps’ operations on state and local government roads within the Kano metropolis.

The court held that, under the existing legal framework, the FRSC and its personnel lack the authority to stop, question or delay motorists on roads that are not federal highways. Justice Shuaibu ruled that the applicant’s fundamental right to personal liberty, as guaranteed under Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, was violated when FRSC officials stopped and interrogated him on July 1 and July 2, 2025, without any primary traffic offence or other lawful justification.

The judge further held that the practice of mounting roadblocks on township roads to stop, interrogate, harass, delay or impound vehicles belonging to members of the public amounted to a violation of the constitutional rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement guaranteed under Sections 35 and 41 of the Constitution.

Consequently, the court granted a perpetual injunction restraining the FRSC, its officers, agents and privies from stopping, harassing, interrogating or delaying the applicant or any other motorist on Kano State roads without lawful authority. The court also directed the corps to publish a public apology to the applicant in at least one national daily newspaper for his unlawful detention and harassment.

In addition, Justice Shuaibu awarded the sum of N800,000 as general damages and costs in favour of the applicant.

Reacting to the judgment, Hikima described the decision as a landmark victory for the rule of law, saying it reaffirmed that law enforcement agencies must operate strictly within the limits of the Constitution and their enabling laws. He added that the judgment represented a victory for law-abiding motorists who had been subjected to unlawful stops and harassment on roads where the FRSC had no legal jurisdiction.