The Kano State Police Command has arraigned 123 drivers for operating vehicles with covered, defaced, or missing registration plates as part of its crackdown on criminal activity. At a press briefing on Monday, Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Adamu Bakori explained that operation Clean Plates was designed to prevent criminals from using unregistered vehicles to avoid law enforcement detection.
"The objective remains clear: to rid Kano State of vehicles plying our roads with covered, defaced, or no registration numbers," Bakori said. He noted that all 123 drivers have been charged in court and prosecuted under the law.
The police operation has netted vehicles across all 44 local government areas in Kano State during the enforcement drive. Officers from the Panshekara Police Division recorded a major breakthrough on July 9 after stopping a vehicle without a registration plate in the Kano metropolis.
The driver, identified as 51-year-old Mahi Ibrahim of Rijiyar Zaki, allegedly refused to stop and attempted to escape before officers arrested him. A search of the suspect and his vehicle uncovered a loaded Beretta pistol, dried cannabis leaves, a knife, electrical wires, 120 lithium batteries, and a vehicle believed to be stolen property.
Ibrahim was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further questioning. Police are still investigating the origins of the firearm and other recovered items.
Bakori said the arrest vindicated the police decision to launch the operation. "This arrest validates the very reason we launched 'Operation Clean Plates'.
Vehicles without proper identification are being used to move suspicious individuals, prohibited firearms, narcotics, and other dangerous items across the state," he told reporters.
The commissioner said the operation would expand across all 44 local government areas in the coming weeks. He urged vehicle owners to register their vehicles properly and display standard number plates at all times.
Bakori also called on residents to work with police and report any misconduct by officers through the command's official complaint channels. The operation reflects growing police concerns about criminals exploiting unregistered vehicles to commit offences and evade arrest.
