The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, commonly known as the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), from stopping, impounding, or confiscating vehicles, and from imposing fines on motorists.

The judgment comes months after the trial court, presided over by Justice Evelyn Maha, underscored the importance of adhering to the legal limits of the agency’s powers in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Abubakar Marshal, a human rights activist and public interest attorney.

Dissatisfied with the trial court’s decision, the Directorate of Road Traffic Services and others appealed the ruling.

In its judgment on Thursday, the three-member panel of the appellate court agreed with the reasoning of the lower court and resolved all issues against the Directorate of Road Traffic Services.

Justice Oyejoju Oyeyemi Oyewumi held that the appeal lacked merit and ought to be dismissed.
The court also awarded a cost of N1 million in favour of the respondent, Abubakar Marshal.

Background of the car:

Marshal’s legal argument at the trial court centred on the assertion that the VIO and other respondents had overstepped their legal authority by stopping vehicles and imposing fines without any clear statutory mandate.

The suit listed several respondents, including the Director of Road Transport, the Area Commander of Jabi, the Team Leader of Jabi, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), all of whom were implicated for their roles in the alleged unlawful practices.

After reviewing the case, Justice Maha upheld Marshal’s argument and ruled that the respondents were not empowered by any existing law to stop vehicles, confiscate them, or impose fines on motorists.

She described their actions as wrongful, oppressive, and unlawful. The judge further declared that their conduct violated motorists’ fundamental rights—including the right to freedom of movement, the presumption of innocence, and the right to own property without unlawful interference.

In response, Justice Maha issued a perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from continuing these practices.

She emphasized that any future attempts to stop, seize, or fine motorists without proper legal backing would constitute a violation of their fundamental rights.

A conference on “Proportional Force and Respect for Human Dignity: A Dialogue in Governance,’ has commenced at Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre, Mabuchi Abuja.

The event is being attended by many respected dignitaries including representatives of the Governors of Kaduna and Katsina States, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Chairman of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, Department of State Security, Inspector General of Police, representatives of Nigerian Air Force and Navy, among others with the Chairman of Nigeria Law Reform Commission, Prof. Dakas CJ Dakas as Keynote Speaker.

In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, said while security agencies are statutorily empowered to carry out their duties towards maintaining security of lives and property of citizens, the question of how force is applied by security agencies, is not only a matter of operational necessity but also of its constitutionality and corresponding responsibility for human rights.

He said the constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) guarantees the right to life as well as the dignity of the human person.

Ojukwu said through dialogue, solutions can be co-created through transparency, accounts in ility, and collaboration, therefore urged participants to freely express their minds, hoping solutions can be found on how to build a security system that is both effective and respect the rights of citizens and their human dignity.

He thanked all partners of the Commission and the media for their support that resulted to

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kekere Ekun, represented by Justice Babatunde Adejimo, Administrator of Nigerian Judicial Institute, said protecting the rights of citizens is key to the growth of the society.

To create a balance, he said the security agencies must ensure balance between carrying out their duties and preservation of the dignity of human rights.

According to him, there must be use of force to deal with known criminals but the degree of force must be reasonable, adding that what is reasonable and balance of force is a serious matter to consider.

He therefore urged NHRC to remain steadfast in its commendable activities and acknowledged the courage and dedication of those who have upheld the fight against injustice and violations of rights of citizens.

Details later….

By Bonaventure Phillips Melah

Photo caption: NiMet DG, Prof. Charles Anosike being congratulated by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, after receiving BusinessDay Excellence in Public Service award, December 3rd, 2025 in Abuja.

Professor Charles Anosike’s transformational leadership as Director General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), has earned him yet another recognition, this time, by Businessday newspapers which on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, honoured him with ‘Excellence in Public Service award,’ at the 2025 Public Lecture Series which took place in Abuja, themed ‘Shaping Nigeria’s Economic Future: Navigating Challenges Unlocking Opportunities.

At the event, chaired by former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, other top Nigerian public servants including serving ministers and heads of departments and agencies were also honoured with the award.

They include Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Maitama Tugar, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Ojo and others.

The organisers of the awards said Anosike, who is also Nigeria’s permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has transformed NiMet though the deployment of cutting-edge technology, especially digitalization of operations resulting to Nigeria becoming a reference hub for accurate weather and climate reports which in turn contributed immensely to aviation safety and protection of agriculture infrastructures, among others, in the country.

While declaring the awards open, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by former senate president and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, commended Businessday for organizing the awards to recognize citizens and leaders who are making positive impacts in the task of nation-building.

Jonathan said Nigeria is a country richly blessed with a huge young population, human and material resources that are potentials for the development of any nation.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris and his Foreign Affairs counterpart, Maitama Yusuf Tugar both called on Nigerians, especially the media to shun and condemn fake news and misinformation as they are capable of endangering the unity and overall wellbeing of the country.

Earlier, the Publisher of Businessday newspapers, Frank Aigbogun who was represented by the Editor, said the Excellence in Public Service Awards is an annual recognition event that celebrates functionaries occupying strategic positions in federal administration, who in the performance of their responsibilities, embody the best values of responsible policy formulation and operational delivery excellence.

Professor Anosike was accompanied to the event by some management staff of NiMet including Mr. Akoji Alex Jusuf, Director, Finance and Accounts; Barrister Shola Gabriel, Director, Legal Services; Mrs. Glory Amarachi Onyegbule, Director, Allied Meteorological Services; Mr. Henry Omonzojie Airiohuodion; Associate Professor Nasiru Sani, Director, Human Resources Management/Administration; and Abdulateef Yusuf, General Manager Commercial Services.

Prof. Charles Anosike was appointed about two years ago, precisely, in December 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. On assumption of office, the NiMet boss was confronted with several institutional challenges including lack of leadership drive, slow and ineffective migration to modern technologies and a demoralized workforce that were denied series of entitlements and claims.

However, leveraging digital innovations and forging strategic partnerships with local and international institutions, Anosike has closed critical gaps and achieved remarkable milestones for the organization, so much so that, NiMet is currently rated among Grade-A performing agencies in the country.

In addition, Anosike has held firm, a twin-chain that include drawing inspiration from President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that hammers on providing best quality service to the people and submission to the strict supervisory approach of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barrister Festus Keyamo, SAN, who does not brood indolence and would not suffer non-compliance to highest operational standards.

The result is that NiMet has witnessed series of transformations that have ensured Nigeria’s weather services are more accurate, reliable, and impactful than ever before. The agency actively works with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other partners to improve communication of climate information to the public and has also been playing crucial role in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing essential data to combat desertification and restore land affected by drought, thereby establishing itself as an authority with clear understanding that its responsibilities go beyond daily weather reports, but include long-term climate and environmental protection.

Among the many significant milestones of NiMet under Anosike is digitalization of operations, leading to the replacement of traditional manual flight folder system with an electronic flight folder also known as e-flight folder, a cutting-edge tool that provides virtual access to a comprehensive suite of flight briefing applications, including weather reports, to pilots and airlines, thereby facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing safety protocols.

NiMet currently has a world-class weather presentation infrastructure which Anosike’s management upgraded to 4K resolution. The transformative initiative was achieved in partnership with global technology leader Chyron. The cutting-edge facility plays pivotal role in NiMet’s current weather presentation capabilities and therefore a critical milestone in the agency’s commitment to delivering world-class meteorological services.

The agency has also completed full audit of dilapidated infrastructures and ill-conceived projects as well as unveiled the Aeronautical Meteorology Bulletin, a groundbreaking publication designed to promote a deeper understanding of meteorology in the aviation industry.

Another area of pride for NiMet is the agency’s flagship product, the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), a vital early warning tool for farmers, livestock practitioners, and other sectors of the economy as well as the implementation of a co-production process, engaging relevant stakeholders in weather-sensitive sectors to craft informed, user-tailored weather forecasts. These forecasts are translated into Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Pidgin to enhance uptake and facilitate better planning and climate-smart decision-making.

For the above and many other achievements recorded by NiMet within just two years, Anosike has been with several prestigious awards including “Best Federal MDA in Open Data Excellence” by Nigeria GovTech Public Service Awards 2025 which also decorated him with the ‘Distinguished GovTech Trailblazer’s Award;’ ‘Aviation Sector CEO of the Year 2024;’ the 2025 ‘African Public Sector Leadership Impact Award’ for his transformational leadership, organized by the African Leadership Magazine at an event held in Casablanca, Morocco, where Anosike was honoured alongside other notable dignitaries including serving presidents of two African countries and the MD/CEO of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) also honoured Anosike with ‘Outstanding Mentorship Award.’