Appeal Court upholds ruling stopping VIO from impounding vehicles, fining motorists

By Johnson Arua

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld a landmark judgment restraining the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and its parent agency, the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), from stopping vehicles, impounding them, or imposing fines on motorists across the country.

In a unanimous decision delivered on December 4, 2025, the appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by the VIO, declaring that there was “no iota of merit” in the arguments brought before it. The court affirmed that the agency lacks statutory powers to enforce such actions on road users.

The judgment reinforces an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1695/2023, which had declared that no existing law empowers VIO officials to impound vehicles, confiscate them, or levy fines on motorists for traffic-related offences.

According to the Court of Appeal, the VIO and its officials have been acting outside the scope of their legal mandate. The High Court had earlier described such actions, stoppage of vehicles, confiscation, and imposition of fines, as “wrongful, oppressive and unlawful.”

In its decision, the appellate court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the VIO, the DRTS, their agents, or representatives from undertaking such enforcement operations going forward. This makes the restriction permanent unless overturned by a higher court.

Implications of the judgment

With the judgment now affirmed by the Court of Appeal:

VIO officials can no longer legally stop motorists on public roads for the purpose of impounding or fining them.

They cannot confiscate or seize vehicles under the guise of traffic inspections or related exercises.

They cannot impose fines or monetary penalties on motorists for alleged traffic violations.

Any such action, the court ruled, would constitute an abuse of power and a violation of citizens’ fundamental rights.

The decision is expected to significantly reshape traffic enforcement practices in Abuja and potentially influence similar cases across states where VIO officials have been known to carry out such activities.