By Gabriel Ameh
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has commenced a crackdown on vehicles with fake, concealed or defaced number plates as part of efforts to strengthen security and vehicle identification across Abuja.
The Command also warned motorists against driving without valid licence plates, using tinted glasses without permits or deliberately concealing, defacing or allowing vehicle registration numbers to fade.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, issued the directive following concerns over the increasing number of vehicles with questionable identification marks across the capital.
According to the police, vehicles with concealed or altered registration numbers could provide cover for criminals seeking to evade identification, detection and arrest.
The Command expressed particular concern over Sports Utility Vehicles with concealed or deliberately defaced number plates.
Sanusi ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of motorists found violating laws governing vehicle registration, number plates and the use of tinted glasses.
He also directed police officers across the FCT to intensify enforcement operations and ensure compliance with existing vehicle identification laws.
The Command further announced enforcement against fake diplomatic number plates and genuine diplomatic plates being used by unauthorised persons.
The police said proper vehicle identification was critical to effective policing, particularly given the security challenges in the nation’s capital.
However, Sanusi warned officers involved in the enforcement exercise against using the operation as an opportunity to harass, intimidate or extort motorists.
He directed that all enforcement activities must be conducted professionally, transparently and in accordance with the law.
The Command said the exercise was not designed to inconvenience law-abiding residents but to close loopholes that criminals could exploit to conceal their identities and movements.
It urged motorists and residents to cooperate with police officers during the operations and report suspicious vehicles or activities to the nearest police station.
Residents can also contact the FCT Police Command through its emergency telephone lines: 08032003913 and 08028940883.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, October 4, 2026, on behalf of the Command in Abuja.
Credit: FCT Police Command
