Justice Akintayo Aluko of a Federal High Court has restrained the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from arresting vehicles with faded number plates or imposing any fine or punishment on any drivers for driving with a faded vehicle number plate.
Justice Aluko gave the orders while delivering judgment in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/253/2024, filed by Chinwike Chamberlain Ezebube against FRSC.
The applicant, Chinwike Chamberlain Ezebube, in an Originating Summons, dated January 12, 2024, and filed on February 13, 2024, by his lawyer, U.G.Nwokedi, had asked the court for to determine the followings: “Whether the Defendant, under Section 5 (g) and Section 10 (3)(f) of the Federal Road Safety Commission Act 2007 being the sole designer and Producer of Vehicle Number Plates in Nigeria, is not responsible for the quality and durability of the vehicle number plates as are produced by it?
“Whether the defendant, under Section 5(g) and Section 10(3)(f) of the Federal Road Safety Commission Act, 2007, being the sole designer and Producer of Vehicle Number Plates in Nigeria, and responsible for the quality and durability of the vehicle plate numbers as are produced by it not liable for any defect or poor quality and durability of the on
“Whether the defendant can, under Section 5(g) and Section 10(3)(f) of the Federal Road Safety Commission Act, 2007 vehicle number plates? being the sole designer and Producer of Vehicle Number Plates in Nigeria, and responsible for the quality and durability of the vehicle plate numbers as are produced by it, penalise or threaten the Plaintiff and or other Nigerians for the depreciating quality, durability, fading or peeling off of the colours and characters of the Vehicle Number Plates designed and produced by the Defendant?
“To also make it an offence and impose a penalty against the plaintiff and or other Nigerians for driving a vehicle with faded vehicle number plates due to poor quality production as were designed and produced by the Defendant?
“Is the defendant not obligated to replace at no cost to the Plaintiff and or other Nigerians, the vehicle number plates when same is faded due to poor quality manufacturing by the Defendant?”
The plaintiff said the court should determine the above questions in his favour, and urged the court to make the following orders: “an order of the honourable court restricting the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), from declaring it an offence for the Plaintiff to drive with a faded vehicle number plate.
“An Order of the honourable Court restricting the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), from imposing any fine or punishment on the Plaintiff for driving with a faded vehicle number plate.