Police begin clampdown on users of defaced, illegal number plates 

 Christopher Oji 

The Lagos State Police Command has issued a seven-day ultimatum to users of unregistered vehicles, vehicles without  number plates, vehicles with covered, defaced or fake  number plates to desist or risked the wrath of the command.

Other vehicles to be clamped down upon after the expiration of the ultimatum are  escorts vehicles without numbers plates  and illegal plate numbers showing names, titles or positions such as traditional chiefs, nicknames etc .

The violators  have been given seven days ultimatum to comply with the provisions of the law or face enforcement.

In a statement the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana said that “users of numbers plates with special inscriptions like ‘Chief’ ‘Chairman’ ‘Ambassador’ ‘Baale’ ‘Iya loja’ ‘Sarki’ or bearing personal name among others are required by law to register such customised numbers. Escorts vehicles and bullion vans must also be registered. It is not enough to inscribe just the word ‘Escort’ or ‘Pilot ‘ as it is not sufficient enough to track such vehicle. Vehicles displayed for sale in various car stand must have the dealer’s sticker conspicuously pasted for easy identification.

“The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, has set up a special operations to clampdown on violators of traffic laws and to embark on massive enforcement at the expiration of the seven days ultimatum. The ultimatum will start from  January 6, and elapse at 11.59pm on  January 12 . The massive clampdown begins on January 13, 2020, until sanity is restored to our roads. 

“This enforcement becomes necessary considering the fact that criminal elements in recent past have devised a means of operating with such vehicles to attack unsuspecting members of the public without any trace. A recent example was a case that occurred at Allen Avenue,  Ikeja, where an operator of Bureau de change was attacked, robbed and murdered by a criminal gang that used an unregistered vehicle, making it difficult for detectives to track the vehicle. 

“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 4(1) of the Road Traffic Act, Cap 548 prohibited the use of unregistered, unlicensed and unmarked vehicles. Any person who forges or fraudulently defaces, alters, mutilates or adds anything to a license or identification mark or uses on one vehicle a license or identification mark belonging to another vehicle is guilty of an offence under Section 32 of the Act. See also the provisions of Lagos State Traffic Law for various offences. Traffic violators will instantly be arraigned before Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court.

“Enforcement of the Smstate of emergency declared by CP Odumosu on Traffic Management and Control, has yielded dividend as the police have arraigned 75 traffic violators in Mobile Court and inpounded 75 vehicles for driving against the traffic and indiscriminate parking.

“Lagos State Police Command has over the last few weeks arrested 75 persons and Impounded 75 vehicles for driving against traffic also known as one way and indiscriminate parking in different parts of the State. 28 of the Offenders were arrested for driving against traffic while the rest were arrested for indiscriminate parking at different clubs and businesses in the state. Such indiscriminate parking result in major obstructions on the highways and streets, causing traffic gridlock. In as much as such clubs and businesses have the rights to run their businesses, our road users equally have the right to free flow of traffic. Business owners and operators of clubs and worship centres have a duty to ensure that their customers, staff, visitors and followers do no create obstructions on the roads where they operate for the benefits of other road users. 

“The vehicles impounded included private cars, commercial vehicles, trucks, bullion vans and escorts vehicles who drove against the traffic. The message is clear; no one is above the law. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, maintained that the operation will be sustained and called on road users to obey traffic laws at all times”.