By Uzair Adam
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano Sector Command, has announced plans to appeal the judgment of the Federal High Court in Kano that barred its personnel from operating on state and local government roads, limiting their activities to federal highways.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice M. S. Shuaibu, followed a suit instituted by Kano-based lawyer, Barrister Abba Hikima, who challenged the legality of FRSC checkpoints mounted on township roads in July 2025.
He argued that motorists were being stopped despite committing no traffic offences.
In his ruling, Justice Shuaibu held that the FRSC acted beyond the powers granted to it by law by operating on state roads.
He further ruled that the Corps’ actions infringed on citizens’ constitutional rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
The court granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff, including a perpetual injunction restraining the FRSC from operating on state and local government roads in Kano.
It also ordered the Corps to publish a public apology in a national newspaper and awarded N800,000 in damages and costs.
Reacting to the judgment, the Public Education Officer of the Kano Sector Command, CRC Abdullahi Aliyu Labaran, said the Corps respects the decision of the court but believes the ruling has been widely misunderstood.
He explained that the judgment did not invalidate the FRSC Establishment Act, 2007, but only restricted the Corps’ operations in Kano to federal highways pending further legal action.
According to him, the FRSC will continue to patrol major federal roads within the state, including the Kano–Zaria Road, Kano–Katsina Road, Kano–Maiduguri Road, Kano Western Bypass, Airport Road and Murtala Mohammed Way.
Labaran expressed concern over social media posts encouraging motorists to resist FRSC officers, warning that such actions could lead to unnecessary confrontations, threaten public order and endanger lives.
He added that the Corps decided to challenge the ruling because it believes its defence was not adequately considered during the proceedings.
Pending the outcome of the appeal, the FRSC assured members of the public that it would continue to carry out its statutory responsibilities professionally and within the confines of the law on federal highways across Kano State.
The Corps also urged motorists to cooperate with its personnel and disregard what it described as misleading online interpretations of the court’s judgment.