The court of appeal in Owerri, Imo state, has stated that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) lacks the power to seize a driver’s licence, vehicle or any related documents without a valid court order.
A three-member panel of the appellate court gave the judgment while ruling on appeal number CA/OW/199/2022 filed by the FRSC, the Corps Marshal, and an officer identified by uniform number COSS 35.
The FRSC had appealed the judgement of the Abia State High Court, which held that the seizure of a citizen’s vehicle and driver’s license by FRSC officials was unlawful and a breach of fundamental rights.
The suit was instituted by Emmanuel Ugochukwu, a medical doctor, who said he was accosted by FRSC officers in Umuahia, Abia state, during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Ugochukwu said he was driving on Bende Road on a Saturday designated for essential workers by the former governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.
Ugovhukwu told the court that although his vehicle and documents were in order, the officials asked him for a bribe. After he declined, citing a lack of cash, the officers accused him of traffic offences, ransacked his car, and seized his driver’s licence.
“From a casual ‘find me something’, I had suddenly become a traffic offender,” Ugochukwu said.
“They came up with a cooked-up charge — ‘worn-out tyre or no spare tyre.’ It was laughable.”
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