Covering number plates is a punishable offense – Police

The Lagos State Police Command has reaffirmed that it is illegal for vehicle owners and drivers to cover their number plates.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, made this clear in a post on X.com on Monday, stating that the practice violates the National Road Traffic Regulations.

Hundeyin wrote, “Covering of number plates is against the provisions of the National Road Traffic Regulations. When convicted, punishment ranges from fines to prison terms. Ignorance is not an excuse under the law. Above all, forewarned is forearmed!”

He also shared excerpts from the regulations, which mandate the clear visibility of number plates both day and night. The document states, “Each Identification Number Plate must be reflective and so made that any letter, numeral or other identifying mark displayed on it are legible in daylight and at night in clear weather and must be visible and recognizable at a distance of not less than 60 meters by the driver of the immediate following vehicle and, in the case of motorcycles, at a distance of 30 meters.

“All vehicles, private and commercial, shall from the commencement of these Regulations have on them the Vehicle Identification Number Plates referred to in this regulation, and it shall be an offence for any vehicle not to have the said Identification Number Plates.”