The applicant had maintained that the FRSC’s statutory mandate is limited to federal highways and does not extend to state or local government roads.
By TheInvestigatorÂ
A 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 in Kano State, declaring such activities unlawful.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice M.S. Shuaibu held that the corps acted outside its statutory powers by stopping, questioning and delaying motorists on township roads within Kano metropolis. The court found that these actions violated the constitutional rights of citizens to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
The ruling followed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed in July 2025 by Kano-based lawyer, Abba Hikima, who challenged the FRSC’s operations after he was stopped at one of the agency’s checkpoints on a township road. Hikima argued that officers demanded his driver’s licence and questioned him despite the absence of any primary traffic offence.
Justice Shuaibu granted all the reliefs sought by the applicant, including a perpetual injunction restraining FRSC personnel from stopping or harassing motorists on Kano State 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 costs.
The applicant had maintained that the FRSC’s statutory mandate is limited to federal highways and does not extend to state or local government roads.
