The Federal High Court sitting in Kano has ruled that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has no legal authority to operate on state and local government roads.
The court also declared the commission’s activities within the Kano metropolis unlawful, holding that they violate the fundamental rights of citizens to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution.
Justice M. S. Shuaibu delivered the judgment on Thursday in a suit filed by Kano-based lawyer, Abba Hikima, against the FRSC.
The judge held that FRSC officers acted outside their statutory powers when they stopped, questioned and delayed motorists on township roads in July 2025.
The court granted all the major 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.
It also ordered the commission to publish a public apology in a national newspaper and awarded the applicant N800,000 as damages and litigation costs.
The case stemmed from an incident in July 2025 when FRSC operatives mounted checkpoints on township roads across Kano and stopped motorists, including Hikima, demanding driver’s licences and questioning them despite the absence of any primary traffic offence.
Hikima subsequently approached the Federal High Court, arguing that the actions of the commission amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights.
He maintained that the FRSC’s statutory mandate is limited to federal highways and does not extend to state or local government roads.
