FRSC, Fagge clash as lawyer insists officers operating on Kano road must be arrested

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano Sector Command, has accused human rights lawyer, Barrister Abba Hikima Fagge, of making statements capable of inciting the public following a Federal High Court judgment restraining the agency from operating on roads under the control of the Kano State Government and local government councils.

Speaking to DAILY POST, the FRSC Public Relations Officer in Kano, A.A. Labaran, said many of the interpretations being circulated by the lawyer after the judgment were inaccurate and required clarification, particularly regarding the distinction between federal roads and those owned by the state government.

Labaran expressed concern that the lawyer’s comments could create confusion and public disorder by encouraging residents to confront FRSC personnel.

“That could lead to a crisis because many people do not even understand which roads belong to the Federal Government and which belong to the state. This issue must be properly explained to the public,” he said.

Responding to questions about the roads under the agency’s jurisdiction, Labaran maintained that the majority of major roads in Kano State are federal roads.

“About 90 per cent of the roads in Kano State are federal roads. Airport Road, the Kano–Kaduna Road, Kano–Kazaure Road, Kano–Gumel Road, Ibrahim Taiwo Road, BUK Road, the Sharada Industrial Road to Madobi, as well as the Western and Eastern Bypass, are all federal roads. Those are the roads where we normally carry out our operations,” he said.

However, in a Facebook post published on Friday, Barrister Abba Hikima insisted that the court order must be obeyed.

“If Road Safety officials attempt to disobey the court order, we will remind members of the public of the powers granted to them under Sections 20 and 23 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

“These provisions empower citizens to arrest offenders and hand them over to the police. Extortion and harassment, which these officials allegedly engage in on state roads, are offences for which members of the public can arrest suspects and immediately hand them over to the police, especially since the court emphasized that such officials operating on state roads are acting as civilians,” the lawyer wrote.

On the court’s ruling, the FRSC spokesman said the Corps’ legal team was reviewing the judgment and would challenge it at the Court of Appeal, insisting the agency was dissatisfied with the decision.

“We were not present when the judgment was delivered, but our lawyers had already filed an application before the court, which was rejected. We do not yet know the reason. That is why we will appeal the judgment or ask the court to set it aside and order a fresh hearing. We are not satisfied with the ruling at all,” Labaran stated.

On July 16, 2026, Justice M. S. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court in Kano delivered the judgment in a suit filed by Barrister Abba Hikima Fagge.

The court held that the practice of FRSC personnel stopping vehicles and questioning motorists on certain roads within the Kano metropolis violated the constitutional right of citizens to freedom of movement as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

FRSC, Fagge clash as lawyer insists officers operating on Kano road must be arrested