Imo Police impound over 25 vehicles with covered number plates

The Imo State Police Command has launched a crackdown on vehicles with obscured or missing license plates, impounding more than 25 vehicles as part of a campaign to bolster public safety and combat crime. The operation targets the use of such vehicles by criminals to evade detection and carry out illicit activities.

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The operation is designed to strengthen intelligence gathering and deny criminals the anonymity often exploited in carrying out unlawful activities.

Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, explained that the enforcement is in line with the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, which mandate visible registration plates on all vehicles. He emphasized that criminals, including kidnappers, armed robbers, and cultists, frequently exploit vehicles with covered or missing plates to hide their identities and hinder law enforcement efforts.

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operational experience has shown that kidnappers, armed robbers, cultists and other criminal elements frequently use vehicles with covered or missing registration plates to conceal their identities, evade detection and frustrate law enforcement efforts.

The police command is determined to prevent these practices from undermining security within the state. All relevant police units have been directed to intensify enforcement professionally and with an intelligence-driven approach, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. Bosso warned that all offenders, irrespective of their status, will face prosecution.

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the command would not allow such practices to undermine security in the state, noting that all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Tactical Commanders and patrol teams had been directed to intensify enforcement in a professional, intelligence-driven manner while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens.

So far, over 25 vehicles have been impounded, and their owners are undergoing profiling for appropriate legal action. The Commissioner stressed that the operation is not intended to harass motorists or facilitate extortion but to improve vehicle identification, deter criminal activity, and strengthen public confidence in the state's security apparatus. Motorists are urged to ensure their vehicles are properly registered and their plates are always clearly visible.

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all violators, regardless of their status or position, would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.