By Paschal Madu
… Says Court judgement banning FCT DRTS was misinterpreted
The Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI), a registered road safety focused Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and member of the United Nations (UN) Road Safety Collaboration and Coalition of Road Safety NGOs in Nigeria has petitioned the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, against the continuous banning and clipping of the Directorate of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) operations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and demands signing into law, the DRTS FCT 2018 Bill
APRI in the petition signed by its Executive Director, and Chairman, Network of African Road Safety NGOs, Amb. Fidelis Nnadi, in Abuja, titled: ‘A Clear and Present Danger to Lives and Public Order in Abuja,’ chronicled the ordeal of the FCT DRTS, since 2023.
“We, the Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (APRI), write this petition with utmost respect to your office, but with deep pain and alarm over the continued deactivation of DRTS (VIO) statutory road operations in the FCT in the name of compliance with court judgement.
“On 2nd October 2023, Justice Evelyn Maha of FHC Abuja in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023 and affirmed by Court of Appeal on 4th December 2025, restrained DRTS from stopping, impounding and fining motorists on the ground that DRTS had no enabling law under FCT.
“Your Transportation Secretariat responded by introducing e-ticketing and withdrawing officers physically.
“Since then, Abuja roads have become lawless. Reports of one-way driving, unregistered vehicles, fake number plates, underage driving, and commercial motorcyclists, (okada) returning to major expressways have tripled.
“The Life Camp clash of 17th September 2026 between VIO and Okada riders is a direct symptom of a weakened enforcement architecture.
The group therefore, demanded the immediate lifting of the ban.
“Sir, the judgement was misinterpreted and weaponized. As we stated in New National Star interview, the judgement applies only to FCT procedure, not to the existence of VIOs in Nigeria.
“The Court did NOT abolish Vehicle Inspection; it said FCTA should properly gazette its regulation empowering DRTS — which Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act and Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution empowers you to do as Minister of FCT.
By continuously banning DRTS operations, FCTA is: violating its own mandate under FCT Act to ensure safety and order; creating 80% non-compliance, as seen in Plateau State where Commissioner admitted 80% of vehicles have no valid papers — same is now true in Abuja. Without VIO, who checks roadworthiness?
“Sir, we want to inform you that the ban is promoting impunity, on FCT roads. Motorists now believe that the VIOs are illegal nationwide, which is FALSE. This falsehood is killing people.
“Also, the ban is exposing FCT to liability. Every crash death in Abuja from rickety, unlicensed vehicle during this ban is legally attributable to administrative failure.
“We hereby demand and propose immediate signing into law of DRTS FCT 2018 bill.
“We also appeal that you direct DRTS to return to full road traffic management duties under new nomenclature as FCT ROAD TRAFFIC OFFICERS (FCT-RTO) as we previously proposed, with properly gazetted FCT Road Traffic Regulation 2026, signed by you as Minister.
“We demand that you exercise your powers under FCT Road Traffic Law to make a regulation that explicitly empowers Road Traffic Officers to stop, inspect, book and impound where necessary, subject to fair hearing at Mobile Court — this cures the defect cited by the Court of Appeal.
“We also demand that you constitute FCT Road Traffic Offences Mobile Court to meet the constitutional requirement that only a court imposes fine, the DRTS books, the Mobile Court convicts.
“Stop Harassment of DRTS by Taskforce. Joint Taskforce should complement, not humiliate, uniformed DRTS officers. They are trained technical officers, not touts.
In conclusion, APRI made it clear that Abuja cannot be a city without traffic discipline.
“Lagos has LASTMA and VIO, Kaduna has KASTLEA, Kano has KAROTA — why should FCT be the only capital in the world without a road traffic enforcement corps?
“We give 7 days notice to your office to act, failing which we shall approach the National Assembly Committee on FCT, the Presidency and commence public interest litigation to compel FCTA to protect lives of road users under Chapter 2 of the Constitution.
