The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has rolled out an electronic ticketing and central booking system for traffic offenders in Abuja.
The initiative, aimed at enhancing traffic enforcement, was announced by DRTS Director, Dr. Abdullateef Bello, on Monday, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Bello explained that the system would improve road safety by using technology to track and penalize violations.
He clarified that enforcement officers would no longer stop vehicles randomly, as the new devices would automatically detect infractions and issue electronic tickets within minutes.
“The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced e-ticketing and central booking of traffic offenders in the territory.
“Its Director, Dr Abdullateef Bello, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, at the inauguration of the initiative designed to drive road traffic enforcement in the FCT,” the NAN report read in part.
It added, “Bello said that DRTS had acquired technological devices that would record traffic infractions and immediately issue electronic tickets to offenders in a few minutes.”
More insight
The introduction of an electronic ticketing and central booking system for traffic offenders in Abuja follows a Federal High Court ruling on October 3, 2024, which prohibited the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) from impounding vehicles, stopping motorists, or imposing fines.
Bello noted that while the directorate has appealed the ruling, the new system aligns with existing laws under the Federal Capital Territory Transportation Secretariat. Under the system, offenders will have seven days to pay fines, after which non-compliance could lead to penalties at the point of vehicle license renewal. Motorists can also appeal tickets.
Bello added that enforcement officers have been trained on the system, and a simulation exercise was conducted to ensure smooth implementation. The electronic ticketing initiative aims to reduce direct interactions between officers and motorists while improving compliance with traffic regulations in Abuja.
What you should know
In October 2024, Nairametrics reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a landmark ruling barring the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) from stopping, impounding, or fining vehicles in the federal capital. The decision, delivered by Justice Evelyn Maha, followed a fundamental rights suit filed by human rights activist and attorney Abubakar Marshal.
- Marshal argued that the DRTS and other respondents had exceeded their legal authority by halting vehicles and imposing fines without a clear legal mandate.
- After reviewing the case, Justice Maha sided with Marshal, ruling that the respondents had no legal power to stop, seize, or fine motorists. She deemed their actions wrongful, oppressive, and unlawful, violating motorists’ fundamental rights to freedom of movement, the presumption of innocence, and property rights.
Justice Maha issued a perpetual injunction, prohibiting the respondents from engaging in such practices in the future.
