A federal high court in Abuja has ruled that the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps cannot impose fines on motorists for failing to have third-party motor insurance without a court order. Justice Hauwa Yilwa delivered the judgment in a suit filed by activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju against the inspector-general of police and the corps marshal of FRSC. The court held that only a judicial panel has the authority to impose penalties for non-compliance with the requirement. The judgment was delivered on Thursday in Abuja. The court also declared that the police and FRSC lack the statutory power to enforce financial penalties in such cases. Adeyanju had argued that the agencies were unlawfully collecting sums from drivers at checkpoints. He contended that the practice violated the Insurance Act and the Nigerian Constitution. The court agreed, stating that enforcement must follow due process. No appeal status was disclosed immediately after the ruling.
⚖️ NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.
