Candid Talk On Number Plate

Do you know about the recent ban on vehicles with unregistered or concealed number plates? Do you know that the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disa, placed the ban? Do you know that he has ordered nationwide operations targeting vehicles without valid number plates?

Valid number plates according to his order are in line with the National Road Traffic Regulations, which list obscured, concealed, defaced, or altered registration numbers, as well as broken number plates, Regulation, which list obscured, concealed, defaced, or altered registration numbers, as well as broken number plates,, which list obscured, concealed, defaced or altered registration numbers as well as broken number plates as infractions. This is in addition to the infraction of driving vehicles without a number plate.

Since his pronouncement was meant to strengthen security, I have been following public reactions to the ban. Some have questioned how many times such a ban has been imposed. Others have asked what the penalty is for politicians and senior government officials who flout these provisions daily, even in the Federal Capital Territory.

Another commentator described the ban as apt, stressing that driving without a number plate is a sign of the dysfunctionality of our society. He noted that those who indulge in this act must have shady deals to [JI1] conceal, which is the trust of the Police pronouncement.

I am not throwing my hat into the mix, as these reactions are expected. My focus is to shed light on the rationale behind such pronouncement, which have been addressed several times on this page, especially in the face of rising insecurity and safety concerns, which should concern, which have been addressed several times on this page, especially in the face of rising insecurity and safety concerns, which should be the concern of every citizen as we collectively battle to promote a safer environment for all.

Today’s dish is nothing new. It’s an old dish that was shared on this same page for the interest of those who missed it or may not know the criminal implications of driving without a registered number plate, which is the concern of the Police authorities.

For the record, the road is central in combating crime. They are the main access criminals use for kidnapping, terrorism, movement of stolen goods or drugs, among other criminal activities. This is why all vehicles, whether in Nigeria or anywhere in the world, are required by law to carry number plates as key identifiers.

In developed climes, and in a state such as Lagos, automated enforcement systems are the tools deployed to monitor, detect, and penalise traffic infractions.  They include automatic number plate recognition, red-light cameras, AI-powered distracted-driving cameras, speed-tracking hardware, and smart software and backend systems.

Unfortunately, these vital tools necessary for modern-day road policing are absent, except in Lagos State,   which has blazed the trail in traffic management. Their absence hinders tracking suspects, stolen vehicles and movements as well as traffic infractions.

The road is therefore not just a path of travel, but a frontline in the battle for safety and security against all forms of crime. I have written several times under captions such as ‘Rotational Number Plates’, ‘The criminality of number plates’, and ‘Still on number plates as well as Taming Number Plate Criminality.

I am compelled by the recent development to again share my last write-up on this safety and security issue, which highlighted the Federal Road Safety Corps’ continued battle to curtail the menace,  which has also caught the attention of the Police hierarchy. Other security Agencies whose mandate requires some presence on the road should also be interested.

I recall a viral video of rotational number plates circulated on social media platforms about a year or so ago, by concerned citizens appealing to security Agencies to step up and nip the trend. I dare to say that the Federal Road Safety Corps has consistently clamped down on violators of this infraction, but it needs an infrastructure backbone to perfect its enforcement drive.

This is why governments at all levels, whose responsibility is protecting citizens, need to put in place the necessary infrastructure to ease enforcement. The necessary infrastructure, such as that currently in place in Lagos State, will shift focus from analogue enforcement to fully technology-driven enforcement. Apart from deterring culprits, this upgrade will reduce avoidable road traffic crashes, even among chronic deviants, including the high and mighty.

For our information, number plate infringement is illegal. It is also criminal. According to my legal tutor, obscuring a number plate or driving a vehicle without one amounts to perverting the course of justice. When I wrote about this same topic, I told you that a number plate identifies a vehicle and its owner.

Whether in developed countries or in countries like Nigeria, each vehicle’s number plate must show the correct registration number. It is therefore illegal for you to rearrange letters or numbers, or alter them in a way that makes them hard to read, and this is a concern for the Police leadership as they battle insecurity in the country.

Such an act, which is deemed criminal, could result in a fine of up to £1,000 in the United Kingdom and cause your vehicle to fail the Ministry of Transport (MOT) test. In Nigeria, number plate violations cost just N3,000, which is why I hope a review will raise the fine to deter defaulters.

Rotational number plate, according to the FRSC, is illegal in Nigeria. It is also illegal in other parts of the globe. My findings show that using a rotating plate or ‘’stealth’’ frame to obscure a number plate to avoid fines or parking fees is ‘’tantamount to perverting the course of justice, according to a lawyer.

I know that FRSC does not produce rotational number plates, nor is such a number plate authorised by the Corps or the National Road Traffic Regulations. Therefore, as a commentator noted, such acts are only intended for sinister criminal motives.  The FRSC once clarified that the Agency does not issue a number plate with such dual features, stressing that only one number can be assigned to a vehicle and its owner at the same time.

Rotational number plates, which carry more than one number, are illegal acts committed by motorists. While we shed light on the illegality of rotational number plates and other number plate infractions cited earlier, it is imperative to clarify the law’s position on the indiscriminate removal of vehicle number plates by law enforcement agents, which should also be the focus of this clampdown.

A classmate and friend once called to express his frustration with the improper action of a security operative who used a screwdriver to unscrew his vehicle’s number plates. Then they asked him to report to the office the next day. A second caller who claimed to reside in the Federal Capital Territory was not as lucky as his rear vehicle number plate was forcefully removed with bare hands.

The action of the security operatives in the two cases cited is criminal and not backed by any law in the land. It is similar to stripping/tearing off a female road user’s dress and disregarding her right to her privacy, all in the name of enforcing the law.

So, what does the law say? For emphasis and clarity, it is illegal for any law enforcement operative, no matter the colour of his uniform or the sophistication of his arms, to engage in the removal/confiscation of number plates from a vehicle, and I do hope that road users would, according to my learned friend, take judicial notice of the clarification.

For appropriate guidance, the following provisions of the law are instructive: Section 10(4)(h) of the FRSC (Establishment) Act, 2007 states that it’s an offence to be on the road without a valid vehicle license or identification mark being displayed. Similarly, Section 10(4)(s) of the Act makes failure to display number plates on vehicles an offence.

The National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) 2012 also provide as follows: Section 36(NRTR) 2012 makes it mandatory for all private and commercial vehicles to have number plates which shall be fixed on them in a manner that is not easily detachable—failure to comply amounts to a contravention of the law. No section of the Regulations permits any operative to remove a vehicle’s number plate. However, depending on the infraction, the vehicle can be towed.