Rivers CP Leads Crackdown on Motorists with Covered, Unregistered Number Plates

The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Ayuba Kulugh, has personally led a high-profile enforcement operation targeting motorists driving vehicles with covered, defaced or unregistered number plates in Port Harcourt.

The Commissioner of Police for Rivers State, CP Ayuba Kulugh, on Thursday personally led a joint enforcement operation targeting vehicles with covered, defaced, unregistered or unidentifiable number plates across major roads in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The operation, which was conducted in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Port Harcourt Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (PORTLASMA), the Rivers State Taskforce, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), targeted motorists who deliberately obscure or refuse to properly display their vehicle registration details.

Confirming the exercise, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Rivers State Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said the enforcement operation was aimed at improving security across the state by ensuring that all vehicles on the roads can be properly identified by security operatives.

According to the police spokesperson, the clampdown targets vehicles with covered number plates, tinted or smoked number plate covers, expired plates, unregistered vehicles, and cars bearing number plates that do not match their documentation.

She noted that the deliberate concealment of vehicle number plates has been identified as a major security threat, as it makes it increasingly difficult for law enforcement agencies to track and intercept vehicles used in criminal activities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, assassination and other violent crimes.

"Driving with covered or obscured number plates is not only a traffic offence but a security risk. It hinders the identification of criminals and makes it difficult for security agencies to act swiftly in tracking down perpetrators of crimes," Iringe-Koko stated.

Vehicles found flouting the directive were impounded on the spot, with the owners directed to regularise their documentation before their vehicles could be released.

The Commissioner of Police warned that the enforcement would be sustained and intensified across all parts of the state, urging motorists to comply with traffic regulations and ensure their vehicles bear clearly visible and authentic registration plates at all times.

CP Kulugh also appealed to residents to support security agencies by reporting any suspicious vehicles with covered or unidentifiable number plates to the nearest police station or by calling the command's emergency hotlines.

The exercise forms part of broader security measures being deployed by the Rivers State Police Command to reduce crime and improve public safety in the state.