Lagos State government has warned motorists against covering number plates without authorisation, use of faded number plates, use of damaged number plates, misuse of the number plate, and non-use of the number plate.

The state government noted that the use of defective vehicle registration number plates on Lagos roads and those without any number fixed on their vehicles is against Sections 15 and 16 of the state’s Transport Reform Law 2018.

The warning was given by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola over the weekend.

Citing Section 16 of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, (TSRL) 2018, Toriola reiterated that, ‘A person, who drives a vehicle that is not registered, or does not have affixed identification mark in the prescribed manner, commits an offence’.

Highlighting the need for vehicles to be properly registered with number plates, the Permanent Secretary opined that a no-number vehicle can be used to commit crimes that may never be tracked.

“The purpose of using number plate is for proper identification and security as it is personalised for each vehicle”, he started.

Toriola explained that the use of private number plates for commercial vehicles and otherwise also violates the TSRL, 2018.

The Permanent Secretary advised individuals who are at the moment not willing to register their vehicles for one reason or the other, to contact the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, (MVAA) of the state for the issuance of a Temporary Vehicle Tag (TVT) in line with section 193 of the TSRL, 2018 pending their final decision on permanent registration or otherwise.

Toriola who stressed that the law enforcement agencies have the mandate to apprehend defaulters, urged vehicle owners to comply with the state government to strengthen the security architecture already put in place.