A 35-year-old man identified as Desmond has been arrested by officers of the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad of the Delta State Police Command after being found driving a vehicle fitted with a remote-controlled, covered number plate and documents purportedly linking the car to the state government.
In a video posted on the official page of the Delta Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, officers described the arrest as part of a renewed crackdown on covered and fraudulent number plates.
According to the Police Spokesperson, the vehicle’s number plate could be opened and closed from the driver’s seat, a feature the police warned makes the car “easily used to perpetrate crime without being caught.”
As he put it: “Two, three weeks ago, we reiterated the fact that the use of covered plate numbers is banned, prohibited, and will not be allowed in Delta State. But this is unique because it’s not just a covered plate number; he can just press his remote, and the plate number will open and close.”
When officers searched the vehicle, the suspect produced a document allegedly from the Directorate of Government Health and Protocol and an identity card claiming he was a political appointee. Police confirmed both items were forged.
In the on-camera exchange, the suspect answered questions from police, revealing that he was arrested at Summit Road. Asked why he covered his plate and replaced it with a government number, Desmond admitted he was not a political appointee.
When questioned, the suspect said a close friend named Mr Donatus, who is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA), gave him the card, admitting he used it “for effizy”, a slang term he described as trying to appear like a “big boy.”
The police statement made clear the offences under investigation and warned others against similar fraud. “There are multiple charges that will be on your head by the time you are being charged in court,” Edafe said.
He added a stark admonition to criminals: “We are out for the likes of you who want to forge documents, carry a government plate number even though you are not an appointee.
We are not the enemy; if you are not abiding, the police will not just be your friend but your best friend.”
The suspect remains in custody as the command prepares to file charges relating to the possession and use of a government-issued number plate without authority and the alleged forgery and impersonation.
