FCT POLICE ORDER IMMEDIATE ARREST, PROSECUTION OF MOTORISTS USING FAKE, CONCEALED PLATES

FCT POLICE ORDER IMMEDIATE ARREST, PROSECUTION OF MOTORISTS USING FAKE, CONCEALED PLATES

ABUJA — The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of motorists found operating vehicles with fake, concealed, defaced or invalid number plates in Abuja.

The directive was issued on Sunday by the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, PhD, FCAI, as the Command stepped up enforcement of regulations governing vehicle identification across the nation’s capital.

The police also warned motorists against the unauthorised use of diplomatic number plates, including counterfeit diplomatic plates, describing the practice as a serious security concern.

According to the Command, the warning became necessary following the increasing number of vehicles, particularly SUVs, being operated without clearly identifiable number plates.

The police said such vehicles could be exploited by criminal elements to evade detection and identification before, during or after the commission of criminal activities.

The Command stressed that, given the security peculiarities of the FCT, proper and visible vehicle identification remains critical to effective policing, crime prevention and the tracking of vehicles suspected to be linked to criminal activities.

CP Sanusi consequently directed all police officers across the FCT to intensify enforcement and ensure strict compliance with extant laws regulating vehicle identification and the use of tinted glass.

He, however, charged officers to conduct the enforcement professionally and within the provisions of the law, warning that the exercise must not become an avenue for harassment or extortion of motorists.

The Command urged vehicle owners and residents of the FCT to ensure that their vehicles carry valid, original and clearly visible number plates, while encouraging members of the public to cooperate with the police in strengthening security across the territory.

It further called on residents to report suspicious vehicles and activities to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency lines: 08032003913 and 08028940883.

The directive was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, ANIPR, MIPRA.