ROAD SAFETY LIED AGAINST ME IN COURT – Here is the Evidence 

ROAD SAFETY LIED AGAINST ME IN COURT – Here is the Evidence 

I read with dismay the recent press release by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), in which they denied any wrongdoing in my case and falsely claimed that their officers never demanded a bribe from me.

Let me state unequivocally: it was precisely because I refused to give them “something” that they turned around to allege that I had committed a traffic offence, then unlawfully seized my driver’s licence; an action which both the High Court and the Court of Appeal have now declared unlawful, shameful, and unconstitutional.

While I have no desire to re-litigate a matter before the social media as it is already settled in law, I must caution the FRSC to be more measured in their public statements to avoid deepening their institutional embarrassment.

How FRSC Lied in Court

When I filed my originating motion before the Abia State High Court, the FRSC, in their Respondents’ Counter Affidavit, falsely claimed that they had charged me before the Magistrate Court in Umuahia.

They further alleged that I was declared wanted for failing to appear in court; a blatant lie under oath.

To verify this claim, I formally approached the Magistrate Court in Umuahia to confirm whether any charge was ever filed against me by Road Safety. The court informed me, in clear and direct terms, that no such charge was ever filed.

The learned trial judge, Justice Nwabughogu, after examining the evidence, stated as follows:

“…𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗲. 𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.”-

In other words, FRSC lied in court.
They lied to shield themselves from accountability.
They lied to obstruct judicial review.
They lied to cover up their officer’s unlawful conduct.
They lied to evade the consequences of abuse of power.

And as the Court of Appeal rightly affirmed, FRSC bears vicarious liability for the unlawful conduct of their officer- including the falsehood told under oath.

FRSC Media Defamation and Irresponsible Name calling

In their recent press statement, the FRSC shamefully referred to me as a “gold digger.” Let it be made abundantly clear that:
Nowhere in the 61-page judgment of the Court of Appeal was I ever referred to as a gold digger.

That phrase was coined not by the court, but by FRSC, in what is clearly a post-judgment smear campaign designed to distract people from the force of the judicial precedent now against them.

This defamatory statement is not only reckless and libelous, but it is a direct attempt to ridicule a citizen for standing up for his rights, in court, under the law.

I hereby issue a pre-action notice to the Federal Road Safety and the responsible official(s) behind this statement. I will not hesitate to pursue legal redress for defamation of character and malicious falsehood, should a formal retraction not be issued promptly.

This Fight is Bigger Than Me

This is not about my personal discomfort.

It is about the average Nigerian, especially young people, who are stopped daily, harassed, and extorted with impunity by uniformed officers.

It is about law enforcement officers who weaponize their uniforms against ordinary citizens while the politically connected drive past without consequence.

It is about a justice system that has, in this case, courageously ruled that FRSC has no legal authority to seize a citizen’s driver’s licence or documents without lawful justification or due process.

The FRSC’s conduct, both on the road and now in the media, must be seen for what it is; a dangerous abuse of power, and a refusal to accept lawful correction.

The Way Forward for FRSC

Rather than engage in baseless name-calling, the FRSC should:

-Cease mounting illegal roadblocks which create hazards and violate road users’ rights.

-Embrace modern technology such as AI-integrated CCTV systems and speed-detection cameras for traffic monitoring.

-Stop chasing vehicles; a practice that has led to countless avoidable accidents.

-Train their officers to act within the limits of the law, with integrity, professionalism, and respect for human rights.

-Provide body cams to their officers to obtain evidence so when they lie, the cameras won’t.

-Comply fully with the judgment of the Court of Appeal, not just financially, but institutionally by initiating the necessary reforms and guidelines that will potentially reduce human right abuses by their officers.

FRSC must learn that it is accountable to the Constitution, to the judiciary, and ultimately to Nigerian citizens.

I thank the Nigerian judiciary once again for upholding justice, and I thank all Nigerians who have stood with me in solidarity.

Dr. Emmanuel Shebbs