Court Bars FRSC From Operating On State, LG Roads.

A Federal High Court in Kano has restrained officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps from operating on state and local government roads, ruling that the agency lacks the legal authority to enforce traffic regulations on such routes.

Justice M. S. Shuaibu delivered the judgment on Thursday in a suit filed by Kano-based lawyer, Abba Hikima, who challenged the activities of FRSC personnel on township roads within the Kano metropolis.

The court held that the commission acted beyond its statutory powers when its operatives stopped, questioned and delayed motorists on state roads in July 2025.

Justice Shuaibu also ruled that the actions of the FRSC violated the applicant's constitutional rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

The court granted all the reliefs sought by the applicant, including a perpetual injunction restraining FRSC personnel from stopping, harassing or interfering with motorists on roads under the jurisdiction of the Kano State Government without lawful authority.

In addition, the court ordered the commission to publish a public apology in a national newspaper and awarded the applicant ₦800,000 as damages and litigation costs.

The suit arose from an incident in July 2025 when FRSC operatives allegedly mounted checkpoints on township roads in Kano and demanded driver's licences from motorists despite the absence of any traffic offence.

Hikima argued that the FRSC Establishment Act empowers the agency to operate on federal highways and does not extend its enforcement powers to state or local government roads.

The judgment is expected to reignite debate over the scope of the FRSC's statutory powers and the constitutional limits of its operations across the country.