Abuja Residents Hail Court Judgment, Heave Sigh Of Relief Over ‘Park and Pay’ Policy

By SaharaReporters, New York

Following the landmark ruling by the Abuja High court on the immediate suspension of the ‘park and pay’ policy in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, residents in Abuja said that they can now heave a ‘sigh of relief’ over unnecessary police harassment, and extortion of money, by ironically, the enforcement officers of the scheme.
Many motorists in Abuja had expressed happiness, even joy, over the decision of the court. The court order calls for the immediate end to the practice of police harassment of ‘park and pay.’ It was an aggressive policy many motorists and residents of the capital city felt that only the judiciary could address as the last hope of the common man.
The plaintiff in this case, Sun Trust Saving and Loans Limited, had sued the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, and two others, challenging the legality of the policy under which motorists paid for parking their cars in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The plaintiff had sought for a declaration that the park and pay policy scheme was severe, illegal, and not in pursuant to any Act of the National Assembly. It also sought the refund of N20, 000 collected by the third defendant, and another N100 million in exemplary damages.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Peter Affen, held that though the ‘park and pay’ policy might be described as an “excellent policy,” it also lacked the backing of the law. In granting the reliefs sought by the plaintiff, the judge declared that the scheme was illegal, and null and void.
Drivers of vehicles were seeing parking spaces along the roads within the city center, without any enforcement agent at their duty post.
The Minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed, introduced the controversial policy of ‘park and pay’ in early 2012.  Following a comprehensive report by Saharareporters on the plight and agony faced by motorists over this policy, word of the police abuses had spread widely. From residents, motorists, tourists, and even commuters, it was a grossly abused practice by the operators of the scheme, with numerous complaints and dozens of cases of extortion and harassment by police officials, but was largely ignored by the authorities in Abuja.