RismadarVoice Reporters, May 14, 2026
Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Sir Chidi Lloyd, PhD, has criticised what he described as the continued harassment and unlawful impoundment of vehicles by Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) in Rivers State despite an existing court judgment restraining such actions.
Sir Lloyd made his position known following an incident captured in a viral video showing him confronting some VIO officials along Tombia Street in the Government Reserved Area (GRA) of Port Harcourt.
The council chairman condemned what he termed oppressive and illegal actions against motorists, including the reported impoundment of a vehicle belonging to a pregnant woman.
According to him, his intervention became necessary in view of a subsisting court judgment which prohibits VIO officials from stopping motorists, confiscating vehicle documents, impounding vehicles, or imposing fines on road users.
He stressed that no government agency or official should act above the law, insisting that the rights and dignity of residents and motorists in Rivers State must be respected.
Sir Lloyd called on the Rivers State Ministry of Transport to immediately caution VIO personnel and ensure strict compliance with the court ruling to prevent further harassment of innocent road users.
The Emohua council boss maintained that enforcement activities must be carried out within the confines of the law and in a manner that does not infringe on the rights of citizens.
Recall that in December 2025, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja affirmed an earlier judgment restraining the Directorate of Road Traffic Services and Vehicle Inspection Officers from stopping motorists, impounding vehicles, confiscating documents, or imposing fines on road users.
The appellate court, in a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel, upheld the October 16, 2024 judgment of the Federal High Court, which declared such actions by VIO officials unlawful.
The appeal filed by the VIO authorities was dismissed for lacking merit in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi.
Earlier, Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court had ruled that no existing law empowered VIO officials to stop, seize, impound, or impose fines on motorists.
The renewed controversy has since sparked conversations among residents and motorists over the conduct of traffic enforcement officers and the need for government agencies to operate strictly within the bounds of the law.
