IG’s Unenforceable Order on Vehicles Without Number Plates

Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu has issued a directive for police commissioners and tactical commanders to immediately intensify enforcement operations against vehicles operating without number plates. This move echoes similar unenforceable orders from his predecessors, highlighting a persistent challenge within Nigeria's law enforcement.

Disu noted a "growing and disturbing trend" of vehicles being driven with missing or concealed number plates across Nigeria. He characterized this practice as "unlawful, irresponsible, and unacceptable," stating that the police would no longer tolerate such impunity due to its "serious implications for public safety and national security."

"Every vehicle operating on the roads must be properly registered and must display its approved registration number in accordance with the law. Any vehicle found without number or tempered registration number will be stopped and subjected to appropriate legal process," the IG declared during a strategic conference meeting with senior police officers.

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Across our country, we have an increasing number of vehicles being driven without registration numbers as well as vehicles whose number plates are deliberately concealed, defaced, covered, or altered in an attempt to evade identification.

However, the article points out that successive IGs have issued the same directive, with enforcement consistently proving difficult. Thousands of cars reportedly operate without proper plates, and some use temporary dealer plates that can be easily switched. Police at checkpoints often refrain from stopping these vehicles, seemingly deterred by the drivers' "air of affluence."

The article suggests that police authorities should be weary of issuing such directives, as they have become largely unenforceable over the years. Nigerians are looking for tangible action, such as convoys being stopped to apprehend and impound vehicles with non-authentic plate numbers, to signal that "business as usual" is no longer the case.

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Every vehicle operating on the roads must be properly registered and must display its approved registration number in accordance with the law. Any vehicle found without number or tempered registration number will be stopped and subjected to appropriate legal process.