By Emmanuel Thomas I Friday, June 12.2026
In a decisive move to curb rising security challenges and deny criminal elements anonymity, the Ogun State Police Command has launched a statewide enforcement operation against vehicles with covered, obscured, defaced, or missing registration number plates.
The clampdown, which takes immediate effect, is in strict compliance with a directive from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) aimed at strengthening public safety across the country.
According to a press statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi B. Babaseyi, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, has ordered all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), and Tactical Team Commanders to aggressively impound offending vehicles.
The PPRO noted that the enforcement drive is comprehensive, covering vehicles displaying fake, improperly issued, altered, or unauthorized number plates. The only exceptions to the order are vehicles officially permitted by protocol to display flags.
”The exercise is aimed at strengthening security, enhancing public safety, and denying criminal elements the anonymity often exploited in the commission of crimes,” Babaseyi stated. “CP Bode Ojajuni has directed officers to impound offending vehicles and carry out thorough investigations in accordance with extant laws.”
While urging motorists, fleet owners, and transport operators to ensure their vehicles carry valid and clearly visible registration numbers, the Command assured the public that the exercise is not meant to harass law-abiding citizens. Instead, it is a strategic effort to enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to identify vehicles, investigate crimes, and track suspects.
Mindful of potential public friction, the Command noted that officers deployed for the operation have been strictly ordered to conduct themselves professionally, courteously, and within the ambit of the law.
Residents were also encouraged to support the initiative by providing timely and credible information through the command’s toll-free line, Gateway Shield (0800 000 9111), and other emergency hotlines.
The Anonymity of Crime: Across Nigeria, criminal elements—including kidnappers, armed robbers, and “one-chance” transit syndicates—frequently utilize vehicles without number plates or with heavily tinted windows and covered plates to escape visual detection and bypass CCTV tracking systems.
The Subversion of VIP Privileges: There has been a growing trend where unauthorized individuals, wealthy citizens, and low-level political aides illegally cover their license plates under the guise of “VIP security.”
This enforcement serves as a reminder that only specific public officials wrapped in strict constitutional protocols are exempted.
This move by the Ogun Command aligns with a broader, synchronized nationwide effort by the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to sanitize the national vehicle database and enforce the National Road Traffic
Regulations. Ogun State, serving as a critical transit hub connecting Lagos to the rest of Nigeria and the Benin Republic border, is strategically vital to this security architecture.