By Jacob Olumide
The Jigawa State Taskforce Committee on the Retrieval of Government Official Number Plates has confiscated over one hundred plates from unauthorized individuals across the state.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Ismaila Ibrahim Dutse,
According to the statement, the Chairman of the Taskforce Committee, DC Tijjani Murtala, while presenting the report, highlights the steps taken by the committee since its inauguration, including public sensitization, consultations, and enforcement.
The statement emphasizes that the Committee mandate was to identify unauthorized use of government official number plates, confiscate them, and educate civil and public servants on the consequences of using such plates on private vehicles.
It adds that some of the confiscated number plates had been assigned to different vehicles than the ones on which they were found.
The statement warns that this misuse poses a security risk, as criminals could exploit the plates to evade security checks and engage in illegal activities.
According to the statement, the committee, however, recommends several measures to minimise the problem, including, re-registration of all government official vehicles, Prohibiting the transfer of government official number plates, Sanctioning any private vehicle found using government plates and rebranding government official number plates for better identification.
The statement explains that other recommendations including, Enforcing laws against the use of covered number plates unless authorized, automating the registration process to create a central database for security and accountability and maintaining a joint task force to prevent further abuse of government official number plates.
It commends the state government for the opportunity to serve and enforce regulations to enhance security and accountability.
According to the statement, the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Bala Ibrahim, appreciates the committee’s work and assured them that the government would carefully review the findings for possible implementation
