The plan by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to receive over N900 billion from the imposition of a speed limiter device on an estimated 25 million vehicle owners was scuttled yesterday at a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Evoh Chukwu, yesterday, held that the FRSC lacked the legal backing to impose the cost of procuring such device, and that it could also not determine where vehicle owners must source the device.

 The judge said under the National Road Transport Regulation (NRTR) 2012 enacted pursuant to the FRSC Act 2007, the commission has the power to direct that vehicle owners in the country install speed limiter device in their vehicle.

“I am inclined to hold that in enforcing the law,  the directive by the 1st defendant (FRSC) that speed limiter be installed in vehicles in Nigeria is within the purview of its powers.

“What I must state here is that the Act never entitled the 1st defendant to limit the scope from where Nigerians can buy the speed limiter nor did the Act allow them (FRSC and its agents) the monopoly to install the device at an astronomical price of N36,000 on Nigerians, who are groaning in abject poverty,” Justice Chukwu said.

 The judgment followed a suit by the Registered Trustees of the International Human Rights and Anti-corruption Society, led by Dr. U. O. Udofia.

 The plaintiff, through its lawyer, E. A. Egbebu, argued that the FRSC was without powers under any known law, to impose the speed limiter, dictate the price and where it could be bought.