Court Awards N1billion  Against NARTO, RTEAN And NURTW For Blocking Road

Olabode Adaramola

A Niger State High Court two,(2) sitting in Minna  has ordered the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to pay N1billion  in general, exemplary and economic loss to the people of Niger state due to the blockade,  barricade and obstruction of major inter-states roads in Niger state in 2021.

The Presiding judge of the court,  Justice Makaila Abdullahi gave the order in Minna on Monday in the suit instituted by a Non-Governmental Organization( NGO) under the aegies of  Yal Almajiri Endowment Initiative.

The court declared the week-long blockade and obstructions of Niger roads as illegal and  unconstitutional which impede the free movement of the plaintiffs and other road users.

The court also  granted a perpetual order restraining  the defendants from further blockade and obstructing the affected roads or any other roads  in Niger state…

However,  Counsel to the first Defendant , NARTO, Barr. Job  Okebe said he will study  the judgment with a view to appealing  the Court’s verdict.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the judgement was delivered by the Court, Okebe insisted that the judgment cannot stand in Appeal Court.

But in a swift reaction,  the Co-ordinator of Yal Almajiri Initiative said that judgment is a victory for the ordinarily people of Niger state who suffered the hardships resulting from the action of the trailer drivers who blocked all roads in Niger state that time.