The Federal Road Safety Corps in collaboration with other security agencies will on August 30 start impounding vehicles with fake and unauthorised number plates in Kogi State.
The state Sector Commander of the FRSC, Solomon Agure, disclosed this in a statement in Lokoja on Saturday.
Agure said the operation would be carried out along with operatives of the Nigeria Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Agure said the clampdown will be carried out under a special operation, which would go along with mobile court sittings to try violators.
He said the corps was dismayed by the increasing number of vehicles using invalid and unregistered number plates and had, therefore, decided to put a stop to it.
He also said continuous use of old government number plates by private vehicle owners across the state was illegal and had security implications.
“It contradicts totally the essence of the unveiling of the new number plates by the Federal Government,” the Sector Commander said.
Agure explained that the invalid and unregistered number plates, which were usually green in colour, were never authorised, produced or registered by the FRSC.
He said: “The fact is that only Federal and State Government Vehicles number plates are produced in green colour and have the name of the Ministry or Parastatal agency inscribed according to the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) 2012.
“It is unfortunate that some unscrupulous elements produce such fake number plates in green colour to appear as if they are for government vehicles with the intention of evading security checks.”
Agure identified some of the number plates to include inscriptions: Peace Ambassador, Nobel Ambassador, ODYP-O1SP, LEADS-02, CYMS-12, NUP-02HCP, NYCN SE39, NYCN-01SW, NASU-004 and NANS.
He said some private vehicle owners had formed the habit of using old government number plates for the same reason of evading security checks.
“These illegal acts being perpetrated on our highways in the state by unscrupulous elements are inimical to our national security and must be stopped,” he said.
The Sector Commander called on those using such illegal number plates to remove them immediately or be ready to face the consequences as from August 30.
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