Lagos residents are celebrating a major victory after a Federal High Court ordered the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), to stop confiscating vehicles with faded number plates.
The court’s decision also prohibits the FRSC from punishing or fining drivers of such vehicles.
The applicant, Ezebube, in an Originating Summons dated January 12, 2024 and filed on February 13, 2024, by his lawyer, U.G.Nwokedi, had asked the court to determine the following:
“Whether the defendant, pursuant to Section 5 (g) and Section 10 (3)(f) of the Federal Road Safety Commission Act 2007 being the sole designer and producer of Vehicle Number Plates in Nigeria, is not absolutely responsible for the quality and durability of the vehicle number plates produced by it?
“Whether the defendant can, pursuant to Section 5(g) and Section 10(3)(f) of the Federal Road Safety Commission Act, 2007 vehicle number plates, being the sole designer and Producer of Vehicle Number Plates in Nigeria, and absolutely responsible for the quality and durability of the vehicle plate numbers as are produced by it, penalise or threaten to penalise the plaintiff and or other Nigerians for the depreciating quality, durability, fading or peeling off of the colours and characters of the Vehicle Number Plates designed and produced by the defendant?
The plaintiff said should the above questions be determined in his favour, urged the court to make the following orders.
“An order of the honourable court restricting the Federal Road Safety Commission, from declaring it an offence for the plaintiff to drive with a faded vehicle number plate.
An order of the Honourable Court restricting the Federal Road Safety Commission, from imposing any fine or punishment on the plaintiff for driving with a faded vehicle number plate.
In his judgment, Justice Aluko held, “While the defendant cannot criminalise the use of faded vehicle number plates, the plaintiff has a duty to approach the defendant for a replacement of his faded vehicle number plate upon payment of the requisite fees for that purpose.
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