Lagos won’t obey court order stopping arrest, fines by VIO — Commissioner

The Lagos State Government has clarified that the recent Federal High Court ruling in Abuja, which bars the Directorate of Vehicle Inspection Services from stopping vehicles, impounding them, or imposing fines on motorists, does not apply in Lagos.

The judgment, delivered on October 2, 2024, by Justice Evelyn Maha, stemmed from a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by human rights activist and public interest attorney Abubakar Marshal.

Justice Maha, in the judgment, agreed with the applicant’s contentions that there was no legal basis for the VIO and its officials to stop, impound, or confiscate vehicles, or to levy fines against motorists.

However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, emphasised that the ruling, delivered by Justice Maha in the fundamental rights enforcement suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023, is territorially limited to Abuja.

He explained that the court’s decision was based on the absence of a specific law in Abuja empowering the VIO to carry out such actions, noting that in Lagos State, the situation is different.

“It is important to note and be informed that, in law, a court has limits to its territorial jurisdiction, and in this case, the judgment is restricted to Abuja,” he said.

According to him, Lagos operates under the Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, which establishes the duties and powers of the VIO in the state.