Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has ordered a nationwide enforcement operation against vehicles operating without number plates or with concealed, altered, defaced, or tampered registration numbers.

Disu warns that such practices pose serious threats to public safety and national security.

The police chief described the growing use of unregistered vehicles and manipulated number plates as unlawful.

He noted that criminals often exploit such vehicles to evade detection and accountability while carrying out illegal activities.

In a directive issued to police commands across the country, Disu instructed officers to stop, impound, and subject to legal procedures any vehicle found operating without valid registration or displaying hidden, obscured, or altered number plates.

According to the IGP, every vehicle on Nigerian roads must be properly registered and must display its approved registration number in compliance with the law.

“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,” he stated.

Disu stressed that vehicle registration is more than an administrative requirement, describing it as a critical tool for crime prevention, intelligence gathering, and national security operations.

He noted that kidnappers and other criminal elements frequently rely on untraceable vehicles to perpetrate crimes, making proper vehicle identification essential for effective policing and public safety.

The IGP further directed all Commissioners of Police, tactical commanders, and heads of police formations nationwide to intensify enforcement efforts and ensure strict compliance with the directive.

He also warned that there would be no preferential treatment or selective enforcement during the exercise, emphasising that all violators would be treated in accordance with the law regardless of status or influence.

The latest directive forms part of the Nigeria Police Force’s broader efforts to strengthen security, improve crime detection, and curb the use of anonymous vehicles in criminal activities across the country.