By Chidi Nkwopara
OWERRI — The Imo State Police Command has impounded more than 25 vehicles found with covered, obscured or missing registration plate numbers as part of an enforcement campaign aimed at improving public safety and tackling crime.
Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Owerri, saying the exercise is in line with the enforcement of laws prohibiting the use of vehicles without clearly visible registration plates.
According to him, the operation is designed to strengthen intelligence gathering and deny criminals the anonymity often exploited in carrying out unlawful activities.
Bosso explained that the enforcement is backed by the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, which require every vehicle to display valid and visible registration plates.
He added that the Nigeria Police Force derives its powers to enforce the regulation from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Police Act, 2020, and other relevant laws in the interest of public safety and national security.
The police commissioner said operational experience has shown that kidnappers, armed robbers, cultists and other criminal elements frequently use vehicles with covered or missing registration plates to conceal their identities, evade detection and frustrate law enforcement efforts.
He said the command would not allow such practices to undermine security in the state, noting that all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Tactical Commanders and patrol teams had been directed to intensify enforcement in a professional, intelligence-driven manner while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens.
Bosso warned that all violators, regardless of their status or position, would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He revealed that since the commencement of the exercise, over 25 vehicles had been impounded, while their owners were being profiled and appropriate enforcement actions taken.
The commissioner stressed that the operation was not intended to harass motorists or encourage extortion but to improve vehicle identification and traceability, deter criminal activities and enhance public confidence in the state’s security architecture.
He urged motorists to ensure their vehicles are properly registered and display clearly visible registration plates at all times, advising owners of damaged, obscured or missing number plates to regularise them in accordance with the law.
