Sam West Coast

The Federal High Court in Abuja has barred the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from direct imposition of fines on Nigerian motorists regarding third-party motor insurance infractions.

This significant judicial intervention clarifies that while these agencies maintain the authority to check for compliance, they do not possess the legal standing to penalize citizens financially without a prior pronouncement from a court of law.

Justice Hauwa Yilwa, presiding over the matter on Friday, delivered a judgment that creates a clear line between the power to enforce laws and the power to sanction offenders.

The ruling was the result of a legal challenge initiated by human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, against the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the FRSC.

The court examined the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Third Party Insurance) Act and the Insurance Act of 2003 to determine the boundaries of agency powers during routine road operations.

While the court acknowledged that both the police and the FRSC are legally permitted to conduct stop-and-search operations to verify insurance documents, it insisted that the administrative imposition of fines by these bodies is a jump over judicial process.

UNKNOWN GUNMEN UNALIVE CLERGYMAN IN YOLA , NIGERIA

In the early hours of today the 21st April, 2026, unknown gunmen stormed the community of Zinai in Song Local Government of Adamawa State, Nigeria in the process of which ended up invading Zinai vicarage where they shot the vicar Rev. Emmanuel Ezeokwe and ended his life. The shot priest was until his demise, the Vicar in charge of Anglican Church, Zinai under the Cathedral Archdeaconry in the Anglican Diocese of Yola.

This trend of disheartening tragedy where priests continue to pay the ultimate price most needlessly is now one too many, underscoring sustained spate of genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

Prayers for the immediate family alongside Zinai Church and the entire diocese of Yola are quite imperative.