The Ondo State Police Command has commenced a statewide enforcement operation targeting vehicles with covered, concealed, defaced, altered or obscured registration number plates, as well as unregistered vehicles plying roads across the state.
The operation, launched under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Felix Ohagwu, is in compliance with a directive from the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, who recently ordered all Commissioners of Police and Heads of Formations nationwide to intensify enforcement against vehicles operating without proper registration numbers or with tampered identification details.
According to the Command, the IG’s directive is aimed at strengthening public safety, enhancing crime prevention and improving the capacity of law enforcement agencies to identify and track vehicles involved in criminal activities.
CP Ohagwu has consequently directed all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Tactical Commanders and officers deployed across the state to ensure strict but professional enforcement of the directive in accordance with extant laws and with respect for the fundamental rights of citizens.
The Command expressed concern over the increasing trend of motorists deliberately concealing, covering, defacing or altering vehicle registration numbers in a bid to evade identification, describing the practice as unlawful and a serious security threat.
“Criminal elements often exploit unregistered and unidentifiable vehicles to perpetrate crimes and avoid detection by security agencies,” the Command noted.
As part of the ongoing operation, vehicles found without approved registration number plates, those displaying covered or obscured plates, and those with altered or defaced registration details will be contravened, impounded where necessary and subjected to appropriate legal processes as stipulated by law.
The Command advised all vehicle owners and motorists in Ondo State to immediately ensure their vehicles are properly registered and that approved registration numbers are clearly displayed at all times, stressing that compliance with vehicle registration regulations is not merely a statutory requirement but a critical component of effective policing, intelligence gathering and public safety.
Members of the public were also urged to cooperate with police personnel during the enforcement exercise and to report suspicious vehicles or activities to the nearest police station.
— DSP Abayomi Jimoh, Police Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Command, June 12, 2026