The Nigeria Police Force has launched a massive nationwide clampdown targeting any vehicle operating without approved, visible registration plates. Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has deployed Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs) to Nigeria's six geopolitical zones to strengthen security and improve policing coordination.
Deployment of DIGs to Geopolitical Zones
The IGP has deployed DIGs to the six geopolitical zones to improve supervision, accountability, and faster response to security threats. The deployment takes effect from June 15, 2026. According to Disu, this initiative is designed to strengthen supervision, improve operational coordination, enhance accountability, and provide strategic oversight of policing activities within their zones. He emphasized that the deployment is not ceremonial but intended to bring leadership closer to the field, improve response mechanisms, and ensure that emergencies and priority threats receive prompt attention.
Joint Border Patrols and Intelligence Sharing
Police commands in neighboring states have been directed to carry out joint patrols and share intelligence to stop criminals from exploiting state boundaries. The police chief raised concerns about criminals exploiting state boundaries to evade arrest, directing Commissioners of Police in neighboring states to establish coordinated 'handshake patrols.' He stated that security agencies must stop treating crime as a purely territorial issue because offenders often commit crimes in one state and escape into another. Disu instructed police commands to conduct coordinated patrols along shared borders, maintain active intelligence-sharing channels, and launch joint operations whenever necessary. This move is expected to improve collaboration among state commands and reduce delays in responding to cross-border criminal activities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, and terrorism.
Enforcement Against Vehicles Without Number Plates
In a directive that could directly affect thousands of vehicle owners nationwide, the IGP ordered police commands and tactical units to intensify enforcement against vehicles operating without registration plates. He warned that vehicles with missing, concealed, tampered, or deliberately obscured number plates would no longer be tolerated. 'Every vehicle operating on our roads must be properly registered and must display its approved registration number in accordance with the law. Any vehicle found without number plates or with a deliberately obscured, concealed, or tampered registration number will be stopped, grounded, and subjected to the appropriate legal process,' Disu said. The police boss linked the use of unregistered vehicles to criminal activities, stating that kidnappers, terrorists, and other offenders frequently rely on such vehicles to avoid detection and frustrate investigations. He directed all Commissioners of Police and tactical commanders across the country to enforce the order without favoritism or selective treatment.
Recent Policing Achievements
Highlighting recent policing achievements, Disu disclosed that security operations carried out by the force led to the arrest of eight suspected terrorists, 29 murder suspects, 65 armed robbery suspects, 55 kidnapping suspects, and 42 other criminal suspects. The operations also resulted in the recovery of 843 rounds of ammunition of different calibers and 28 stolen vehicles. In addition, the police rescued 88 kidnapped victims from various locations across the country. The latest directives come amid growing concerns over insecurity and the challenges posed by Nigeria's federal policing structure, which security experts say has often allowed criminals to exploit jurisdictional boundaries while slowing operational coordination between state commands.
