In a landmark ruling that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s roads, the Court of Appeal has declared the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (VIO) powerless to stop vehicles, impound cars, or slap fines on motorists, effectively rendering the agency’s roadside operations illegal across the country while awarding N1 million in damages to an Abuja driver who challenged them.
The appellate court upheld every point of an earlier judgment that stripped VIO of its long-assumed authority, delivering a stinging rebuke to the agency and a major victory for Nigerian motorists tired of arbitrary stops and extortionate fines.
The decision was handed down in Abuja by a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal. Justice Oyejoju Oyebiola Oyewumi, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed the VIO’s appeal as completely without merit.
“The appeal lacks merit and it is hereby dismissed,” Justice Oyewumi ruled, before awarding costs of N1 million against the Directorate of Road Traffic Services in favour of the respondent, rights activist and public interest lawyer, Abubakar Marshal.
The judgment affirms the October 4, 2024 ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which first barred VIO officers from stopping, impounding, or confiscating vehicles and imposing fines on motorists.
With this final appellate confirmation, millions of Nigerian drivers can now legally ignore VIO checkpoints, marking the end of an era of roadside harassment that has long frustrated motorists nationwide.