JUSTICE of the Court of Appeal Kalu Anyah travelled from Arochukwu to Owerri for a book launch and decided to spend the night in a nearby hotel.

Anyah drove into Imo Concorde Hotel, where security men on duty issued him with a plastic disc labelled 102 at the entrance. He then parked his car in a space provided by the hotel.

Despite the signpost that read, 'owners park at their own risk,' Anyah locked his car and put the keys into his pockets. He then proceeded to retire for the night into the room allocated to him.

The following morning, Anyah checked out of his hotel room at about 7.00 AM, walked down to the parking lot to get his car, but his car was gone.

 He reported to the hotel management and an investigation was ordered into the theft, but it yielded no result.

The lawsuit that ensued afterwards would be known across Nigeria as Anyah v. Imo Concorde Hotels Limited & Ors. Anyah filed an action against the hotel, claiming compensation for the value of his stolen car and other expenses he had incurred as a result.

The hotel management, however, argued in court that the parking facility was merely a service rendered to customers and did not imply a guarantee of safety for their cars, especially with the presence of a notice that cars were being parked at owners’ risk.

Anyah’s case is similar to several arguments that have ensued among individuals, hotels and some corporate entities, especially in places like the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for several years. When cars are parked within the premises of an organisation, are they still at owners' risk?

A report has estimated that about 2,544 vehicles have been stolen across the country between 2013 and 2015, and the steady rise in vehicle theft in Abuja has resulted in extra measures by car park authorities to exonerate themselves of liability that may arise from vehicle damage or theft within their premises.

One of such measures is the inscription of a notice often displayed at public car parks, that cars are parked at owners’ risk.

Whether or not the caveat absolves an institution of liability arising from cars stolen or damaged within their premises, the issue has remained a topic for debate by car owners, most of whom are unsure of its legality.

As the arguments continue to unfold, The ICIR examines the position of the law on the caveat of cars being parked at owners’ risk.

A legal practitioner Franklin Okeke, in an article, said parties to a contract were free under the law to exclude obligations arising from their transactions through the use of an exclusion or limitation clause.

“Exclusion and limitation clauses are binding on parties as there is a general presumption of intention on contractual terms,” it read.

Thus, the caveat “cars are parked at owners’ risk” is a clause that excludes the obligation that ordinarily should be binding on authorities at public car parks.

In a phone conversation with The ICIR, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Olusina Sofola explained that while the law might generally hold an occupier liable for damage done to a licensee’s property, putting up a notice that could be spotted easily by a reasonable person upon entry might exonerate the occupier from liability.

“If you are there to conduct business or something, it is left for you to decide not to conduct that business again and go somewhere else. They have informed you in advance that they will not cover any loss or damage,” he said.

Another legal practitioner Chukwubuikem  Azoro told The ICIR that while the presence of a car park or security men within a premises would not imply a duty of care, it posed a duty on occupiers to make, at least, minimal efforts as could be expected from a reasonable person to ensure the safety of a licensee’s car.

“If after they have done their best, a third party tampers with the car, can one still hold them liable? They are not bailees of the car in the first place. And if, for any reason, they have put up the caveat, ‘cars parked at owners’ risk,’ then it is conclusive of the matter,” he said.

Several car parks demand the payment of a certain sum before entry into the premises can be granted to car owners. Receipts are issued upon payment, and this is the practice across major markets in Abuja.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/park-at-your-own-risk-who-is-liable-for-a-stolen-car/