Anambra Police Crack Down On Unregistered Covered Number Plates — Arrests Imminent**

The Anambra State Police Command has announced a full-scale crackdown on motorists using unregistered, covered, or tinted number plates across the state, warning that defaulters will be arrested and prosecuted.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Awka on Monday, said the operation became necessary following intelligence reports that criminals, kidnappers, and armed robbers have been using covered number plates to evade detection and escape justice.

According to the police boss, the crackdown, codenamed **"Operation Clean Plate,"** will cover all major roads, motor parks, markets, and communities across the 21 local government areas of the state.

"We have received credible intelligence that hoodlums, kidnappers, and other criminals are deliberately covering their number plates or using unregistered plates to conceal their identities while committing crimes across Anambra and beyond," CP Adejobi said.

"This ugly trend must stop. From today, any motorist found with a covered, tinted, or unregistered number plate will be arrested, their vehicle impounded, and they will face the full wrath of the law."

The Commissioner further revealed that the operation will also target vehicles with foreign number plates that do not have valid Nigerian registration documents, as well as commercial tricycles and motorcycles operating with fake or concealed plates.

He urged all residents, especially vehicle owners, to ensure their number plates are properly registered, clearly visible, and free from any form of covering or tinting.

"We are not targeting innocent citizens. We are targeting criminals who hide behind covered plates to terrorise our people. If your plate is genuine and properly registered, you have nothing to fear. But if you are hiding something, now is the time to come clean — or we will come for you," the CP warned.

The police command also directed all motor parks, filling stations, and mechanic workshops across the state to report any person attempting to cover, tint, or alter number plates, threatening to sanction any establishment found complicit in the act.

Residents of Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, and other major towns have largely welcomed the development, describing it as long overdue.

"For too long, we have seen vehicles with covered plates moving around freely, especially at night. You don't know who is inside. This crackdown will go a long way in reducing crime in the state," said Chukwuebuka Okafor, a resident of Awka.

However, some motorists have expressed concern over the implementation, arguing that many vehicle owners cover their plates simply to prevent rust and damage, not to commit crimes.

The Anambra State Government has thrown its full weight behind the police operation, with the Commissioner for Information, Public Awareness, and Orientation, C. Don Adinuba, describing it as a critical step toward making the state safer for all.

The crackdown comes at a time when Anambra State has been recording significant improvements in its security architecture, with a notable reduction in kidnapping, armed robbery, and other violent crimes compared to previous years.

Police have assured the public that the operation will be sustained and will not be a one-off exercise.

Motorists have been given a **two-week grace period** to comply before full enforcement begins.