The Kano State Police Command has arrested 123 motorists for allegedly driving vehicles without registration plates or with concealed number plates.
The arrests were made as part of the police command’s ongoing Operation Clean Plate aimed at tackling criminal activities across the state
The command also disclosed the arrest of a 51-year-old suspect during the enforcement exercise, with a pistol, cannabis sativa, a knife, electric wires, 120 lithium batteries and a suspected stolen vehicle recovered from him.
The Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, disclosed this on Monday, July 13, while briefing journalists at the command headquarters, Bompai, Kano.
Bakori said the operation was launched to address the use of vehicles without proper identification, which he described as a tactic allegedly used by criminals to conceal their identity and evade security checks.
He said the command had intercepted the vehicles across various local government areas of the state since the commencement of the operation and that all drivers had been charged to court.
“This is not a mere traffic violation. It is a deliberate tactic employed by criminals to create anonymity, commit crime and evade detection,” the commissioner said.
“The Kano State Police Command under my watch will not allow our roads to be used as escape routes for criminality,” he added.
The police commissioner said the arrest at the Panshekara Police Division further demonstrated the importance of the operation.
According to him, officers on enforcement duty on July 9, 2026, intercepted a vehicle without a registration plate, but the driver allegedly attempted to evade arrest before he was apprehended.
Bakori said a search conducted on the suspect and the vehicle led to the recovery of the items, adding that the suspect had been transferred to the Command’s Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“These recoveries validate the reason we launched Operation Clean Plate. Vehicles without proper identification are being used to move suspicious individuals, prohibited firearms, narcotics and other dangerous items across the state,” he said.
The commissioner explained that the command was working to trace the origin of the recovered firearm and other exhibits to determine whether they were linked to a wider criminal network.
He assured residents that the operation would continue across the 44 local government areas of Kano State, adding that it was designed to improve security and prevent criminals from exploiting loopholes.
“Operation Clean Plate will not stop. It will be sustained and intensified across the local government areas of Kano State,” Bakori said.
He urged vehicle owners to ensure their vehicles were properly registered, obtain standard number plates and remove any obstruction that could prevent identification.
The commissioner also appealed to residents to cooperate with security personnel and provide credible information to help the command prevent crime.
He warned police officers against misconduct during the operation, stressing that professionalism and discipline remained priorities of the command.
“Any act of unprofessional conduct by our personnel should be reported. Discipline and brutality remain non-negotiable,” he said.
Bakori said the command remained committed to protecting lives and property while strengthening security across Kano State.