Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police Ahmed Sanusi has ordered the immediate arrest and prosecution of motorists in Abuja driving with unauthorized tinted windows, concealed or fake license plates, and fraudulent diplomatic number tags.
The directive targets what the command describes as a surge in vehicles used by criminal elements to evade identification and escape detection after committing offenses in the nation’s capital.
Sanusi told reporters that the FCT’s unique status as Nigeria’s administrative center makes it a high-value target for criminals who exploit obscured vehicle identities to bypass security checkpoints and gain unimpeded access to ministries and restricted areas.
Intelligence reports, he said, show that some SUVs with faded, defaced or missing plates –and others fitted with counterfeit diplomatic or official government tags–are being used to facilitate one-chance robberies, kidnappings and other violent crimes.
The Commissioner added that his command had already dismantled a syndicate producing and distributing fake diplomatic and official plates bearing labels such as “Presidency,” “Senator” and “House of Representatives,” with suspects paying between ₦500,000 and ₦1.7mil for the illicit tags.
Several suspects linked to the network remain in custody and will be prosecuted once investigations conclude, he said.
Under the new enforcement drive, police officers across the FCT have been directed to intensify checks on vehicles without valid license plates, with tinted glass lacking permits, or with deliberately obscured registration numbers—except for top government officials who are legally exempt.
Motorists caught violating the law will be arrested and prosecuted immediately in accordance with existing statutes, including the FCT Road Transport Regulations Act, 2023, the command said.
Sanusi cautioned officers to carry out operations professionally and warned against using the exercise as an avenue for extortion.
He urged residents to support the police by reporting suspicious vehicles or activities to the nearest station or via the command’s emergency lines: 08032003913 and 08028940883.
The latest order follows earlier enforcement actions in June, when the FCT Command impounded more than 30 vehicles for similar violations as part of a broader security push approved by the Inspector-General of Police.
That crackdown came despite lingering uncertainty over the nationwide tinted-glass permit policy, whose enforcement was suspended in January 2026 following an interim court order that remains unresolved.
Under the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act, tinted windows are illegal without explicit police approval, which is granted primarily on documented medical or security grounds through an online application portal managed by the police.
While courts have yet to issue a final ruling on the policy’s suspension, the law on the books still requires permits for tinted vehicles, and the FCT Command has proceeded with enforcement on that basis.
