Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani, has ordered a nationwide clampdown on automobiles operating Lagos roads without number plates or with concealed registration markings, warning that offenders would be arrested and their vehicles seized with immediate effect.
Fatai said the instruction was part of efforts to improve the security architecture and prevent criminal groups from invading the state through unregistered automobiles, Vanguard reports.
The directive was handed down by the CP at a strategy meeting with Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, DPOs and Commanders of Tactical Units at the Officers’ Mess, Ikeja yesterday.
He told the officers about agreements reached at a recent conference with the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu and described new security measures to tighten security across Lagos.
Tijani said the Inspector-General of Police also stressed the need to guarantee that all vehicles on the roads in the country have their plate numbers. “No one should ever put a vehicle on the road without a plate number or with a covered plate number. “If anybody is caught driving such a vehicle, that vehicle will have to be impounded.”
“Most of the vehicles being used by these criminals are either not registered at all or have their plate numbers covered,” he said. ” There are no other exceptions except for those who are legally permitted to cover their plate numbers”.
CP Tijani also urged all DPOs to beef up community policing and intelligence collection at the grassroots and stressed that effective security could only be achieved by active engagement between the police and the people.
He also said that the command would continue with collaborative patrols and intelligence sharing with other security agencies especially border communities and waterways to prevent movement of criminal elements into Lagos.
Tijani assured citizens of the command’s readiness to address new dangers. “Lagos Police Command had maintained a strong intelligence network and would continue working closely with transport unions, community leaders and other stakeholders to keep the state safe. “We want to ensure that Lagos is safe and that criminal elements have no space to operate.”
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