The Kano State Police Command has arrested 123 motorists for allegedly driving vehicles without registration plates or with concealed number plates under its ongoing “Operation Clean Plate” aimed at tackling criminal activities across the state.
The Command also arrested a 51-year-old suspect during the enforcement exercise, recovering a pistol, cannabis sativa, a knife, electric wires, 120 lithium batteries and a suspected stolen vehicle.
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, disclosed this while briefing journalists on Monday at the Command Headquarters in Bompai, Kano.
According to Bakori, the operation was launched to curb the use of vehicles without proper identification, a tactic he said is commonly exploited by criminals to evade security operatives.
He revealed that the 123 motorists were intercepted across different local government areas of the state and have all been charged to court.
“This is not a mere traffic violation. It is a deliberate tactic employed by criminals to create anonymity, commit crime and evade detection,” Bakori said.
“The Kano State Police Command under my watch will not allow our roads to be used as escape routes for criminality,” he added.
The police commissioner further disclosed that the operation led to the arrest of a suspect by operatives attached to the Panshekara Police Division.
According to him, officers on enforcement duty on July 9, 2026, intercepted a vehicle without a registration plate, but the driver allegedly attempted to flee before he was apprehended.
Bakori said a search of the suspect and the vehicle led to the recovery of a pistol, cannabis sativa, a knife, electric wires, 120 lithium batteries and a suspected stolen vehicle.
He added that the suspect had been transferred to the Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.
“These recoveries validate the reason we launched Operation Clean Plate. Vehicles without proper identification are being used to move suspicious individuals, prohibited firearms, narcotics and other dangerous items across the state,” he stated.
The commissioner said investigators were working to trace the origin of the recovered firearm and other exhibits to determine whether they were linked to a wider criminal network.
He assured residents that the operation would continue across the 44 local government areas of Kano State to prevent criminals from exploiting loopholes in the system.
“Operation Clean Plate will not stop. It will be sustained and intensified across the local government areas of Kano State,” Bakori said.
He urged vehicle owners to properly register their vehicles, obtain standard number plates and ensure that nothing obstructs their visibility.
Bakori also appealed to residents to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that would assist in preventing crime.
Warning officers against misconduct during the exercise, the commissioner stressed that professionalism and discipline would not be compromised.
“Any act of unprofessional conduct by our personnel should be reported. Discipline and brutality remain non-negotiable,” he said.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Kano State Police Command to protecting lives and property while strengthening security across the state.
