Court Bars Police, FRSC from Fining Motorists Without Order

On Friday, a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa, issued a ruling that restrains the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from imposing fines or penalties on motorists who breach the Third Party Motor Vehicle Insurance Act. The judgment was delivered in response to a suit filed by lawyer Deji Adeyanju.

Justice Yilwa dismissed a preliminary objection raised by the police regarding the court's jurisdiction to entertain the suit, stating that evidence of service was present in the court's records. The police had argued that they were not properly served with court processes.

However, the court maintained that the police were aware of the suit, which had been served on them on multiple dates, including April 3, May 21, November 14, January 28, and April 21. The judgment emphasized that while the police and FRSC are empowered to enforce the insurance act, they lack the authority to impose fines without a court order.