Kano Police Arrest 123 Motorists, Recover Firearm in Number Plate Enforcement Drive
The Kano State Police Command has arrested 123 motorists for violating vehicle registration and number plate regulations under its ongoing Operation Clean Plates, aimed at removing vehicles with concealed, defaced or missing number plates from roads across the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Bompai.
Bakori said the operation, which began on July 6, was introduced to curb the use of improperly identified vehicles by criminal elements seeking to evade arrest and detection.
According to
him, the command has intercepted 123 vehicles in violation of the regulations across the state’s 44 local government areas, adding that all the suspects have been charged to court for prosecution.
He described the use of covered or missing number plates as more than a traffic offence, noting that criminals often exploit such vehicles to commit crimes anonymously.
The police commissioner also announced the recovery of a firearm during the operation following the arrest of a suspect by officers attached to the Panshekara Division.
He said officers intercepted a vehicle without a number plate in Kano metropolis on July 9. Although the driver initially attempted to evade arrest, he was later tracked down and apprehended.
The suspect, identified as 51-year-old Mahi Ibrahim of Rijiyar Zaki Quarters, was allegedly found with a Beretta pistol, suspected cannabis, a knife, electric cables, 120 lithium batteries and a vehicle believed to have been stolen.
Bakori said the recovery reinforced the importance of the operation, noting that vehicles without proper identification were often used to transport firearms, narcotics and other dangerous items.
He added that the suspect had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the firearm and any possible links to criminal networks.
The commissioner said the operation would be sustained and expanded across the state, urging motorists to comply with vehicle registration laws and ensure their number plates remain visible at all times.
He also appealed to residents to provide credible information that could assist security agencies in combating crime and assured the public of the command’s commitment to professionalism and the protection of lives and property.
