FCT police uncover fake diplomatic plate racket

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has uncovered a syndicate producing and distributing fake diplomatic and official government number plates, used by criminals to evade security checks and gain unauthorised access to restricted locations.
The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed this on Friday at a press briefing at the command headquarters in Abuja, adding that investigations began shortly after he assumed office, following reports of the widespread misuse of such plates by unauthorised persons.
He said the probe had traced not only the users but the entire production and supply chain, noting that buyers paid between ₦500,000 and ₦1.7 million to procure the fake plates.
“This will tell you that they are making such huge expenditure because they have an agenda to fulfil with it, which they feel is bigger than the cost they are incurring. Now they will face punishment that is bigger than both the cost they incur and the agenda they are planning to use it to perpetrate,” Sanusi said.
Suspects currently in custody will be charged to court on conclusion of investigation, he said, adding that the manufacturers, though based outside the FCT, had already been identified and were being trailed.
“We’ve gotten their identities. That’s why we are not displaying our suspects regarding this, so that they will not know that we are coming after them,” he said.
Sanusi urged residents and journalists to report vehicles bearing suspicious diplomatic registration numbers, noting that genuine plates follow a recognised format.
“They use these fake numbers to beat security checkpoints. They use them to go into ministries and parastatals unstopped because everybody feels once you are a diplomat or have these plates, you are a big man. Help us identify them. Raise an alarm and we will arrest them,” he said.
Vandalised infrastructure recovered
The command also recovered vandalised public infrastructure, including drainage covers, solar-powered streetlights, armoured electricity cables and internet communication cables, through intelligence-led operations across Maitama, Garki, Durumi, Jabi, Apo Legislative Quarters, Lugbe and Nyanya.
Five suspects were arrested in connection with the recoveries: Godwin Aja, Mustapha Nasiru, Ibrahim Garba, Abdulrasheed Sale and Dabarani Mujitafa.
Sanusi described the vandalism as economic sabotage with grave consequences for residents.
“The removal of drainage covers, solar street lights, armoured cables used for the transmission of high-voltage electricity and internet communication cables worth millions of naira by a few unscrupulous individuals for personal gain has directly contributed to road traffic accidents, injuries to pedestrians, increased incidents of street crime in areas plunged into darkness and the disruption of electricity supply to entire communities,” he said.
He warned scrap dealers and other buyers of stolen public infrastructure that the command was widening its investigation to dismantle the entire criminal network, and said recovered items would be handed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration for reinstallation.