Court restrains Police, FRSC from imposing fines on motorists over insurance

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) cannot impose fines on motorists over third-party motor insurance violations without obtaining a court order.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Hauwa Yilwa in a suit filed by human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, against the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the FRSC.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/291/2025, challenged the extent of enforcement powers of law enforcement agencies under Nigeria’s motor vehicle insurance laws.

In her ruling, Justice Yilwa held that while the police and FRSC are empowered to enforce compliance with insurance requirements, they do not have the authority to impose fines or penalties without judicial approval.

Counsel to the applicant, Marvin Omorogbe, said the court clearly distinguished between enforcement and sanctioning powers, stressing that both agencies may check compliance but cannot levy fines on motorists.

He further noted that the court restrained the agencies from imposing fines on vehicle owners or Nigerian citizens without due process.

Adeyanju, reacting to the judgment, described it as a major victory for motorists, saying it would curb what he termed arbitrary fines by law enforcement agencies.

However, counsel to the defendants, Victor Okoye, disagreed with parts of the ruling, arguing that the suit was incompetent and that the court lacked jurisdiction. He said the matter would likely be appealed.

Despite the objection, the court affirmed that both the police and FRSC retain the authority to stop vehicles and verify compliance with third-party insurance requirements, but not to impose penalties independently.

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