The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has warned that motorists operating vehicles without valid licence plates or tinted glass permits will be arrested and prosecuted immediately. Commissioner of Police Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi issued the directive on Sunday, October 4, 2026, targeting what the command described as a proliferation of vehicles used by criminal elements to evade detection, identification and arrest.
In a statement released in Abuja by Police Public Relations Officer Josephine Adeh, the command said the enforcement covers vehicles with concealed, fake diplomatic, defaced or deliberately faded plate numbers. The warning also applies to tinted glass used without permits, with particular attention to persons driving SUVs other than top government officials.
Sanusi explained that the FCT is a peculiar environment where such vehicles create significant security concerns because they can hinder effective identification and tracking by law enforcement agencies. The command also cautioned against the use of fake diplomatic plate numbers or the use of such numbers by unauthorised persons within the territory.
The statement said the commissioner warned that motorists found operating vehicles in violation of the law would be arrested and prosecuted immediately. He further directed all police officers across the FCT to intensify enforcement and ensure strict compliance with existing laws governing vehicle identification and the use of tinted glasses.
Officers have also been instructed to conduct the operations professionally and refrain from using the exercise as a means of extortion. The command urged residents to support police operations, describing security as a collective responsibility, and asked members of the public to report suspicious vehicles or activities to the nearest police station or through the command's emergency lines, 08032003913 and 08028940883.
The directive builds on an enforcement drive that has persisted over the past couple of years. In August 2025, the FCT Police Command impounded 675 vehicles in Abuja under Operation Sweep Abuja for offences including tinted glass use, illegal taxi operations, covered number plates and other traffic-related infractions. That operation targeted vehicles with improper documentation and unauthorised taxi services that posed as commercial transport operations to defraud commuters.
