FRSC Begins Crackdown On Fake Number Plates, Identifies Security Threat

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has launched a nationwide special operation to eliminate fake number plates, particularly those linked to respected institutions such as the presidency, Nigerian Youth Council (NYC), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

Lagos State FRSC Sector Commander, Kehinde Hamzat, disclosed this development during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, February 7, 2025.

Hamzat highlighted that criminals are increasingly using fraudulent number plates with institutional tags to evade scrutiny from law enforcement agencies.

“We think that most of these number plates are labelled ‘Presidency,’ ‘NYC,’ ‘NANS,’ and some others, knowing fully well that these are established institutions that law enforcement agents probably wouldn’t want to disturb. We now discover that they use all these things to perpetuate evils, and it’s becoming a security threat to the country,” he said.

He added that most number plates with the presidency tag are not registered in Nigeria’s official vehicle registration database.

“If you check these numbers on the database, you’ll discover they are not anywhere. So when they misbehave, you start tracing the vehicle, and you can’t identify it. We are trying to pick as many of them as possible to investigate and prosecute them appropriately,” he stated.

FRSC To Prosecute Offenders

The FRSC’s intensified efforts are part of a broader initiative to uphold the integrity of the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS).

The Corps Marshal, Malam Shehu Mohammed, recently directed officers to arrest and impound vehicles associated with fake number plates, including those bearing NANS tags.

However, the move has sparked controversy, with NANS leadership threatening to shut down FRSC commands nationwide if the agency proceeds with the crackdown.

Despite the opposition from NANS, the FRSC has insisted that it will not be deterred from enforcing the law.