An Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Marshal Abubakar, has accused officials of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, popularly called Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs), of contempt, by violating a subsisting court order banning their operation on roads within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Consequently, Abubakar, who is a senior lawyer from Falana & Falana Chambers in Abuja, has petitioned the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to demand his immediate intervention by calling the officials to order.
In the petition dated March 12, 2025, a copy of which was sent to the Director in the Directorate of Road Traffic Services at Mabushi, Abuja, Abubakar asked the Minister to prevail on the VIOs to desist from further committing the contemptuous acts within seven days of the receipt of the petition, or risk a legal action to commit them to prison.
Titled: Notification of Court Contempt And Request to Desist from further Violation of the Orders of the Federal High Court, Abubakar urged the Minister to use his good offices to direct the VIOs to restore compliance with the binding orders of the court pending the final determination of the Appeal and Cross Appeal processes on the matter.
Citing the order, which arose from a judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja on October 2, 2024 in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023 between Marshal Abubakar Esq. Vs Directorate of Road Traffic Services and four others, Abubakar said the court made a declaration as follows:
That the defendants were “not empowered by any law or statute to stop, impound, confiscate the vehicle of motorists, and or impose fine on motorists, as doing so is wrongful, oppressive and unlawful, as it violates the fundamental human rights of such motorists to fair hearing, freedom of movement, and presumption of innocence, and therefore unlawful by virtue of Sections 6(b), 36(1) (8) and (12) and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) 1999 (as amended) and Articles 2,7(b), 12 and 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
Also, the lawyer recalled that the court issued an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the VIOs and their agents from further violating the fundamental rights of motorists in any manner without lawful justification.
Despite the orders, Abubakar expressed sadness that the VIOs have resumed the stoppage, impounding, confiscation of cars and imposition of fines on motorists plying roads in the FCT in utter violation of the binding and subsisting orders.
“We have been inundated with calls over the renewed illegal activities of the VIOs within the FCT and have moved round the capital city to confirm their illegal operations, which have led to violent confrontations between some of these officials and vexed motorists,” Abubakar lamented.
The lawyer said he and other road users in the FCT find it disturbing that VIOs could show such egregious and contemptuous disdain of an express order of court without being called to order by any constituted authority.
