The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has won a major legal battle when a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt dismissed a basic rights complaint filed against it and its officers for over N950 million over an enforcement operation in Rivers State.
The court in its judgement in Suit No: FHC/PH/FHR/447/2022 held that the applicant, Barrister Osita Nnadozie, failed to provide any convincing evidence to substantiate charges of rights breaches against the staff of FRSC involved in the incident.
The court then dismissed all accusations against the agency as being not well founded.
The action was sequel to an enforcement exercise on the Port Harcourt–Owerri Road at Elele by operatives of the RS6.13 Isiokpo Unit Command on October 2, 2022.
The evidence before the court was that the applicant had been stopped for an alleged seatbelt violation and failure to comply with lawful traffic checks.
It was gathered that during the operation, the applicant was said to have driven dangerously towards an FRSC marshal, forcing the officer to jump into a bush along the road to escape being knocked down.
He was later arrested and booked for other traffic related charges.
The proceedings further showed that the applicant was said to have infiltrated the premises of the Isiokpo Unit Command beyond official hours on October 5, 2022, and was caught taking photographs within the facility.
Later, FRSC authorities handed him over to the Police for profiling and identification for security reasons.
In a combined counter-affidavit submitted by the State Legal Officer, counsel representing the respondents maintained that the acts of the FRSC members were legal, professional and compatible with safety and security regulations.
The applicant had instituted a suit against the FRSC, the Rivers State Sector Commander and eight other respondents for the sum of ₦950,006,161.25 as damages.
But upon the consideration of the argument of both parties, the court upheld the position of the FRSC and dismissed the claims in their entirety.
This is being viewed as a judicial endorsement of the enforcement mechanism and the agency’s style of working.
Responding to the ruling, the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed said the FRSC remains committed to professionalism, fairness and respect for human rights in the course of discharging its statutory responsibilities.
He also warned against attempts to impede authorized enforcement activities or to defame personnel engaged in legitimate work on the nation’s highways.
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