Court Adjourns Suit Against Vehicle Ownership Certificate Levy Till March 4

A lawsuit to prevent the yearly fee for a certificate of proof of car ownership in the nation has been adjourned until March 4, 2024, by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Naija News recalls that a ₦1,000 annual fee for the verification of Proof of Ownership certificates was instituted by the Federal Government in June 2023, and all drivers have been mandated to make the payments.

In July of 2023, the Lagos State Government started charging drivers for POC.

The Joint Tax Board, the Lagos State Government, and the Federal Government were all sued by the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law to contest the levies that had been put in place.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed under the file number FHC/ABJ/CS/1285/2023 are the chairman of NBA Spidel John Aikpokpo-Martins, the secretary Funmi Adeogun, and a member of the Governing Council of NBA-SPIDEL Francis Ogunbowale. They argued that the defendants started the policy without any legal backing mandating car owners to pay the required amount.

The plaintiffs are requesting an order from the court prohibiting the defendants, their servants, agents, and proxies from harassing, upsetting, and/or interfering with Nigerians’ freedom of movement when they use their vehicles anywhere in the nation due to non-payment and the expiration of proof of ownership certificates.

The plaintiffs also asked the court to determine, “Whether the imposition of annual renewal of Proof of Ownership certificates on vehicle owners by the Defendants does not amount to multiple taxations and therefore illegal, because the I and 3rd Defendants (and the various State Governments, through their various tax agencies, have already issued certificates or evidence of proof of ownership to vehicle owners at the time of registration”

NBA-SPIDEL Publicity Secretary Sadiya Saleh stated in a statement on Tuesday that the case was brought before Federal High Court Judge Inyang Ekwo in Abuja on Monday.

The court verified during the preliminary hearing that the originating processes and proof of services had been served to each defendant in the case.

The first and second defendants were not represented in court, while Godspower Eroga and Vincent Adodo defended the NBA-SPIDEL.