For criminals who rely on concealed vehicle identities to evade detection, the Edo State Police Command says the game is up.

The Command has launched a statewide crackdown on vehicles with covered, altered, defaced, obscured or missing registration number plates, warning that offenders risk arrest and impoundment of their vehicles.

Police said the operation, activated on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Rilwan Disu, is aimed at boosting security, improving intelligence gathering and denying criminal elements the anonymity often exploited in the commission of crimes.

Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, has directed Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers to sustain the enforcement across the state.

According to the Command, vehicles operating without clearly visible registration plates pose a major security threat and hinder efforts to trace those linked to crimes.

Police spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, stressed that the exercise is not a new policy but a strict enforcement of existing regulations.

“There is no going back. The regulation is not new, it is simply being reactivated,” she said.

Motorists have been urged to ensure their number plates and vehicle documents are valid and visible at all times as the police intensify efforts to keep Edo roads safe.