The Federal Road Safety Corps has launched a special enforcement operation, codenamed “Operation Guduma,” to tackle the use of fake diplomatic number plates and overloading on Nigerian roads.

The Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, disclosed this on Monday in Awka during the inauguration of the operation.

Mohammed, who was represented by the Head of the Transport Union Coordination Unit, Oko Etuali, said the agency discovered that many individuals were using fake ambassadorial and diplomatic number plates across the country.

According to him, the trend has become a major security concern amid rising insecurity nationwide.

“We discovered that most people are faking ambassadorial or diplomatic number plates and using them to ply the roads,” he said.

“Considering the insecurity in the country, the corps launched this strategic intervention patrol to ensure that all those using fake ambassadorial number plates and other illegal government number plates are brought to book.”

The FRSC boss explained that one of the statutory responsibilities of the corps is the design and production of number plates, while state governments are responsible for issuing them to eligible government officials, including lawmakers.

He noted that the FRSC only advises state governments on the withdrawal of official number plates after public office holders leave office.

“Most of the time, during handover processes or change of government, many former officials fail to return the number plates issued to them,” he stated.

Mohammed added that official government number plates carry expiry dates, making them easier to identify during enforcement operations.

He disclosed that the operation had already begun in some states and would run in Anambra and Enugu states from May 18 to May 22.

On overloading, Mohammed said the newly established Transport Union Coordination Unit had begun sensitisation campaigns at motor parks to educate drivers about the dangers of carrying excess passengers and goods.

“The mentality of many drivers is that the more passengers or goods they load, the more money they make, without considering the safety of other road users,” he said.

He warned that after the awareness campaign, the FRSC would begin strict enforcement and sanction offenders to serve as a deterrent to others.