Police arraign 123 drivers over covered, missing number plates

The Kano State Police Command says it has arraigned 123 drivers for using vehicles with covered, defaced, or missing number plates since the launch of Operation Clean Plates.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Adamu Bakori said the operation was introduced to prevent criminals from using unregistered vehicles to evade detection.

“The objective remains clear: to rid Kano State of vehicles plying our roads with covered, defaced, or no registration numbers,” Bakori said.

He added that “all the drivers of the intercepted vehicles have been charged to court and are being prosecuted” under the law.

According to the police commissioner, officers intercepted 123 vehicles across Kano State’s 44 local government areas during the enforcement exercise.

Bakori also announced a major breakthrough recorded by officers from the Panshekara Police Division on July 9, after they stopped a vehicle without a registration plate in Kano metropolis.

He said the driver, identified as 51-year-old Mahi Ibrahim of Rijiyar Zaki, allegedly refused to stop and attempted to flee before he was arrested.

Police said a search of the suspect and the vehicle led to the recovery of a Beretta pistol, dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, a sharp knife, electric wires, 120 lithium batteries, and a vehicle suspected to have been stolen.

The suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to trace the source of the firearm and other recovered items.

Bakori said the arrest highlights why the police launched the operation.

“This arrest validates the very reason we launched ‘Operation Clean Plates’. Vehicles without proper identification are being used to move suspicious individuals, prohibited firearms, narcotics, and other dangerous items across the state,” he said.

The commissioner said the operation would continue across all 44 local government areas, urging vehicle owners to properly register their vehicles and display standard number plates at all times.

He also called on residents to cooperate with police officers and report any unprofessional conduct by personnel through the command’s complaint channels.