The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri has awarded ₦10 million in damages to Emmanuel Shebbs Ugochukwu, a lecturer at Abia State University (ABSU), against the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) for the unlawful seizure of his driver’s licence.
A three-man panel of the appellate court, presided over by Hon. Justice Amina Audi Wambai, ruled in favour of Dr. Ugochukwu, affirming that the actions of FRSC officers along Bende Road, Umuahia, were illegal, abusive, and violated his fundamental rights.
According to court documents and statements made by the lecturer, the incident occurred when FRSC personnel stopped him for a routine check. After verifying that all his documents and safety items including a spare tyre and fire extinguisher were in order, one of the officers allegedly solicited a bribe.
“I told them I was heading to the market and needed to withdraw cash from the ATM. I had no cash on me, so literally, I had no ‘something’ to give,” Dr. Ugochukwu recounted.
The situation quickly escalated. The officers conducted a second round of inspection and allegedly concocted new traffic offences, such as “worn-out tyre” or “no spare tyre.” His driver’s licence was seized, and a ₦3,000 fine was demanded.
Rather than pay or use his high-level connections to resolve the matter ,including reaching out to former students in government or law enforcement — Dr. Ugochukwu chose to seek justice through the courts.
“I remembered the many Nigerian youths who neither had connections nor ID cards , those who couldn’t afford to ‘pay their way out’ of an abusive law enforcement system,” he said.
Initially, the High Court had awarded ₦30 million in damages against the FRSC. However, the appellate court, while upholding the illegality of the FRSC’s actions, reduced the amount to ₦10 million in its unanimous judgment.
The ruling is being hailed by civil rights advocates as a landmark step toward holding law enforcement agencies accountable for abuse of power.
