IGP Disu Orders Nationwide Seizure of Vehicles Without Number Plates

(Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu. ICIR Nigeria)

Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu has issued a strong nationwide warning over the increasing use of unregistered vehicles and the deliberate concealment, defacement, or alteration of number plates, describing the practice as unlawful and a growing threat to public safety and national security.

The IGP noted that the practice is frequently exploited by criminals to evade identification and accountability, and announced that the Nigeria Police Force would no longer tolerate such acts of impunity.

Enforcement has been directed across all commands, with strict orders that any vehicle found without valid registration or with tampered or hidden plates will be stopped, impounded, and subjected to legal procedures.

“Every vehicle operating on our roads must be properly registered and must display its approved registration number in accordance with the law.

Any vehicle found without number plates or with deliberately obscured, concealed, or tampered registration number will be stopped, impounded, and subjected to the appropriate legal process,” Disu said.

The police further stressed that vehicle registration is not merely an administrative requirement but a key tool for crime prevention, intelligence gathering, and national security, noting that k¡dnappers and other criminal elements often rely on untraceable vehicles to carry out their activities.

All Commissioners of Police, tactical commanders, and heads of formations have been directed to intensify enforcement operations nationwide.

The IGP also issued a clear warning that there would be no preferential treatment or selective enforcement in the exercise.