A Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, from arresting drivers of vehicles with faded number plates or imposing fines on them.

Justice Akintayo Aluko issued the ruling while delivering judgment in a suit filed by lawyer Chinwike Chamberlain Ezebube, who challenged the FRSC’s handling of vehicle number plates, arguing that the commission, as the sole producer of the plates, was responsible for their quality and durability.

The court ruled that while the FRSC could not criminalize the use of faded plates, drivers must request replacements for faded plates from the FRSC upon payment of the necessary fees.

In the suit, Ezebube sought to determine whether the FRSC, being responsible for designing and producing vehicle plates, could impose penalties on drivers for using faded plates resulting from poor manufacturing.

He also requested the court to compel the FRSC to replace his own faded vehicle plate at no extra cost.

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The FRSC opposed the suit, filing a counter-affidavit asking the court to dismiss the case with punitive costs.

Justice Aluko’s ruling emphasized that while the FRSC could not criminalize the use of faded plates or fine drivers for it, drivers were still required to pay for replacements of the plates.

The court granted the plaintiff’s request for the FRSC to replace his faded number plate upon payment of the necessary fee.

This judgment is expected to impact how the FRSC handles cases of faded vehicle plates across the country, requiring them to address the issue of poor-quality manufacturing rather than penalizing drivers.

Crediblenewsng.com