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The Lagos State Government has said that the recent court order against the operations of the Directorate of Vehicle Inspection Services also known as VIO does not apply to the state.
On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court Abuja barred the agency from arresting motorists, impounding their vehicles, and imposing fines on them.
According to the judge, there’s no legal basis for the agency to impound, confiscate, or impose fines on vehicles.
In a suit filed by a human rights activist and public interest attorney, Abubakar Marshal against the Director of Road Transport; the Area Commander, Jabi, the Team Leader, Jabi, and the Minister of the FCT, Justice Maha said, “The actions of the first to fourth respondents, under the control of the fifth respondent, are not empowered by any law or statute to stop, impound, or confiscate the vehicles of motorists or impose fines on them.”
However, the Lagos State Government has maintained that the court order does not apply to its territory.
In a statement on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, explained that the ruling was based on the absence of a specific law in Abuja.
Osiyemi maintained that the Lagos State law allows VIO officials to impound vehicles and impose fines on motorists.
He said, “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.”
The commissioner said the Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 under which VIO operates in Lagos allows the agency to carry out the activities Justice Maha ruled against.