A Federal High Court in Kano has restrained the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from enforcing traffic regulations on roads under the jurisdiction of the Kano State Government and local government councils.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice M. S. Shuaibu held that the FRSC acted beyond its legal authority when its personnel stopped, questioned and delayed motorists on township roads in July 2025.
The suit was filed by Kano-based lawyer Abba Hikima, who challenged the actions of FRSC officers after he and other motorists were stopped and asked to produce their driver’s licences despite allegedly committing no traffic offences.
The court ruled that the officers’ actions violated the constitutional rights of the motorists to personal liberty and freedom of movement.
Justice Shuaibu granted the plaintiff’s reliefs, including a perpetual injunction restraining FRSC officials from stopping, harassing or interfering with motorists on Kano State and local government roads without lawful authority.
The court also ordered the FRSC to publish a public apology in a national newspaper and awarded Hikima ₦800,000 as damages and the cost of the suit.
Hikima had argued that the FRSC’s statutory powers are limited to federal highways and do not extend to roads managed by state or local governments.
