By Innocent Anaba

The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has been asked to stop misinforming Nigerians over its plan to, from August 1, start impounding vehicles with the old number plates in clear disregard of an order of a Federal High Court, Lagos, which held that the commission has no such powers to phase out the old number plates.

The lawyer, Mr. Emmanuel Ofoegbu, at whose instance the Federal High Court made the order, in his reaction to FRSC’s purported plan to start impounding vehicles with old number on the alleged strength of a favourable Anambra State High Court judgment, said: “My attention has been drawn to the well manufactured and concocted lies by the FRSC over a purported judgment it obtained in respect of the new number plates.

“A certain Nwankwonta of FRSC is now insinuating and boasts that the Federal High Court judgment, which judgment is still valid and subsisting, has been upturned by the said purported judgment of an Anambra State High Court.

“Perhaps it is important to ask, upturned where? By a purported judgment of another state high court? The Federal High Court judgment is on appeal. Mr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) is the counsel to FRSC and we have exchanged briefs of argument in the appeal.

“The question is, does a state high court has jurisdiction over FRSC, a federal agency. The constitution is there for the commission and its lawyers to check.

“My alert is to assist Nigerians to be aware of their rights as rightly stated by Justice Tsoho of the Federal High Court, FHC. It must be noted that the FHC is the only court of first instance in so far as the subject matter in issue is concerned and not a state high court or howsoever called.”