By Oluwakemi Kindness
The FCT Police Command has ordered the arrest and immediate prosecution of motorists driving vehicles without valid license plates or with concealed, defaced or deliberately faded number plates.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Sanusi, issued the directive following what the Command described as the growing use of such vehicles, particularly SUVs, to evade detection and identification.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, says the Command is also warning against the use of fake diplomatic number plates or diplomatic plates by unauthorised persons in the territory.
According to the police, some vehicles with concealed or irregular number plates have been observed to be used by criminal elements to evade detection, identification and arrest during or after the commission of offences.
The Command said such vehicles pose a security concern in the Federal Capital Territory because they can make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify and track them.
Sanusi has therefore directed police officers across the FCT to intensify enforcement and ensure compliance with existing vehicle licensing laws.
However, the Commissioner ordered officers to conduct the exercise professionally and warned them against using the enforcement operation as an avenue for extortion.
The Command urged residents to support the police and report suspicious vehicles or activities to the nearest police station.
