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Lawyers give IGP 48hours to halt third-party insurance for vehicle owners

By Matthew Ogune, Abuja
14 January 2025   |   8:32 am
Lawyers under the auspices of Deji Adeyanju and Partners have urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun
Lawyers under the auspices of Deji Adeyanju and Partners have urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun,
IGP Kayode Egbetokun

Lawyers under the auspices of Deji Adeyanju and Partners have urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to halt the proposed enforcement of the third-party insurance for vehicle owners within 48 hours.

In a letter addressed to the IGP, titled ‘urgent request to halt the proposed enforcement of the third-party insurance for vehicle owners’ signed by Deji Adeyanju, the law firm said it will approach the court to determine, amongst others, whether the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has the powers to enforce third-party vehicle insurance for vehicle owners.

Stating that the proposed enforcement is not only unpopular, the public interest lawyers noted that it is also not backed by the Police Act, being the extant law setting up the NPF.

They informed the IGP that the decision of the NPF to enforce third-party vehicle insurance will ultimately lead to further extortion of helpless Nigerian motorists by police officers.

“A few days ago, we stumbled upon a news report on the decision of the Nigeria Police Force to enforce third-party insurance for vehicle owners,” they said.

“Although our initial reaction was to dismiss the news as being the product of some blogger’s imagination, subsequent confirmation of the news by your good self has compelled us to urgently write this letter to you, sir, requesting that the proposed enforcer be shelved.

“We must immediately state that not only is the proposed enforcement unpopular, it is also not backed by the Police Act, being the extant law setting up the Nigerian Police Force, and we dare say any other law.

“The power to regulate issues bordering on the safety of persons and vehicles on Nigerian roads is rather domiciled with the Federal Road Safety Corps.

“Wide as the powers of the Nigeria Police may be, it cannot be extended to those issues that are not directly connected to its fundamental duties under the Police Act.

“In a plethora of cases, and more recently in the case of Nwaboshi v F.R.N & Ors (2023) LPELR-60698 (SC), the Supreme Court reiterated the principle that the powers of security agencies in Nigeria are not large.

“Indeed, the powers of the Nigerian Police Force are not large. It is our opinion, sir, that the Nigerian Police Force lacks the vires to enforce third-party insurance in Nigeria, and the proposed enforcementmust be immediately discarded.

“Additionally, it will appear, sir, that the Nigeria Police Force under your leadership is increasingly tilting towards revenue generation, as against its core constitutional mandate of protecting lives and properties in Nigeria.”

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