Worried by the rising spate of criminality in the country, the House of Representatives has urged the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to crack down on the use of fake vehicle number plates.
The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the member representing Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency, Imo State, Rep. Matthew Nwogu during Thursday’s plenary.
Nwogu highlighted the importance of vehicle plate numbers which serve as a means of easy identification and enable security agencies to track and identify vehicles suspected of involvement in criminal activities.
He referenced Vanguard’s report from February 7, 2025, “Where the Lagos State Sector Commander of FRSC claimed that most fake number plates used for crime in the country, bear the tags of respected institutions such as the Presidency, Nigeria Youth Council and National Association of Nigeria Students.”
He said the prevalence of “One Chance’ robbery and kidnapping incidents in Nigeria are linked to fake vehicle plate numbers with some falling victim while some met their untimely death in the hands of criminals.
The Labour Party lawmaker said given Nigeria’s current insecurity challenges, it is imperative to tackle the use of fake plate numbers which pose a significant security risk to citizens.
He added: “The House is concerned that some number plates bearing the Presidency, Nigeria Youth Council, National Association of Nigerian Students, and other government agencies are, according to the FRSC Sector Command, Lagos, not registered in the Nigeria Vehicle Registration database.”
Members voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion when it was put to a voice vote through a loud “aye”.
Following the motion’s adoption, the House called on the FRSC to work with the Nigeria Police Force to intensify efforts to arrest users of fake plate numbers and ensure that the producers are traced and prosecuted.
The House also urged them to ensure that only vehicles with registered plate numbers, which are verified in the Nigeria Vehicle registration database, are allowed to operate on the country’s roads.
Persecondnews recalls that Corps Commander Kehinde Hamzat, the Lagos State Sector Commander, launched an operation to tackle fake number plates in Lagos on February 7, 2025.
During the launch, he said: “Over time, we discovered that some of the security challenges happening in the country cannot be traced due to the fact that the source is not known.
“You can imagine a situation where there is a hiccup and you pick a number of a particular vehicle, thinking you have the registration number, only to check the data base and you cannot locate the particular vehicle.
“This is a security threat to the country and we say no to some of these things.”
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