The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has uncovered a criminal network involved in the production and use of fake diplomatic and official government number plates, while also recovering large quantities of vandalised public infrastructure stolen from different parts of Abuja.
The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed the development on Friday during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Abuja, describing the operations as a major breakthrough in the fight against organised crime in the nation’s capital.
Sanusi said the police recovered stolen public assets, including drainage covers, solar-powered street lights, armoured electricity cables and internet communication cables, during intelligence-led operations carried out across several parts of the FCT.
According to him, the operations were conducted in Maitama, Garki, Durumi, Jabi, Apo Legislative Quarters, Lugbe and Nyanya, areas where police had received intelligence about the activities of suspected vandals and other criminal groups.
He identified five suspects arrested in connection with the vandalised infrastructure as Godwin Aja, Mustapha Nasiru, Ibrahim Garba, Abdulrasheed Sale and Dabarani Mujitafa.
The police commissioner said investigations were still ongoing and that additional suspects connected to the crimes could be arrested.
Sanusi described the destruction and theft of public infrastructure as a serious form of economic sabotage that poses grave dangers to residents and causes huge financial losses to the government.
He explained that the removal of drainage covers had exposed motorists and pedestrians to accidents, while the theft of solar street lights had left many roads and public places in darkness, creating opportunities for criminals to operate.
He also noted that the stealing of armoured electricity cables and internet communication facilities had disrupted power supply and communication services in several communities.
“The removal of drainage covers, solar street lights, armoured cables used for the transmission of high-voltage electricity and internet communication cables worth millions of naira by a few unscrupulous individuals for personal gain has directly contributed to road traffic accidents, injuries to pedestrians, increased incidents of street crime in areas plunged into darkness and the disruption of electricity supply to entire communities through the theft of high-tension power cables,” Sanusi said.
The commissioner warned that the police would not stop with the arrest of suspected vandals but would also go after those who purchase stolen public property.
He said investigations had already been expanded to identify and dismantle the entire network responsible for buying, transporting and reselling stolen infrastructure.
“I want to use this opportunity to send a clear warning to all purchasers, receivers and dealers in stolen public infrastructure that the FCT Police Command is coming after you. We have commenced extensive investigations and will not relent until every link in the supply, distribution and disposal chain of these stolen public assets is identified and brought to justice,” he said.
According to Sanusi, the recovered infrastructure will be handed over to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for reinstallation so that damaged facilities can be restored and further accidents prevented.
Beyond the recovery of stolen infrastructure, the police also uncovered what Sanusi described as a sophisticated network involved in the illegal production and circulation of fake diplomatic and official government number plates.
He said investigations into the illegal operation began shortly after he assumed office as Commissioner of Police following reports that diplomatic and government registration numbers were increasingly being used by unauthorised persons.
According to him, intelligence gathered by the command revealed that criminals were using the fake number plates to avoid security checks and gain unrestricted access to sensitive government facilities.
“Upon my assumption of duty as the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, my attention was drawn to the proliferation and unauthorized use of diplomatic and official government licence plate numbers by unauthorized individuals. I immediately ordered a comprehensive investigation into this disturbing trend, which revealed that these individuals use such plate numbers as a cover to perpetrate crimes within the Federal Capital Territory and evade detection and arrest,” he said.
Sanusi disclosed that investigators not only arrested some of those using the fake number plates but also traced the supply chain responsible for producing and distributing them.
He said suspects found with the fake registration plates were already in police custody and would be charged to court after investigations were concluded.
The police commissioner, however, declined to publicly identify the manufacturers of the fake plates, saying they were operating outside the FCT and that security operatives were already closing in on them.
“We are on their trail. We’ve gotten their identities. That’s why we are not displaying our suspects regarding this so that they will not know that we are coming after them,” he explained.
Investigations further revealed that some buyers paid between **N500,000 and N1.7 million** to obtain the fake diplomatic and official number plates.
According to Sanusi, the high prices paid for the illegal plates suggest that buyers intended to use them to commit more serious crimes.
“Some of these things are ranging between N500,000 to N1.7 million for them to procure. This will tell you that they are making such huge expenditure because they have an agenda to fulfil with it, which they feel is bigger than the cost they are incurring. Now they will face punishment that is bigger than both the cost they incur and the agenda they are planning to use it to perpetrate,” he said.
He appealed to residents, journalists and other members of the public to assist the police by reporting vehicles bearing suspicious diplomatic registration numbers.
The commissioner explained that genuine diplomatic number plates follow recognised formats and are issued only to accredited diplomatic missions and authorised officials.
According to him, many criminals exploit the respect usually accorded to diplomatic vehicles to avoid being searched at security checkpoints.
“They use these fake numbers to beat security checkpoints. They use them to go into ministries and parastatals unstopped because everybody feels once you are a diplomat or have these plates, you are a big man. Help us identify them. Raise an alarm and we will arrest them,” he said.
The discovery comes amid increasing concern over the activities of criminals who disguise themselves as government officials or diplomats to evade arrest and gain access to restricted areas within the Federal Capital Territory.
The police have, in recent years, intensified intelligence-led policing across Abuja as part of efforts to curb vandalism, vehicle theft, kidnapping and attacks on public facilities.
Authorities have repeatedly warned that vandalism of government infrastructure not only causes huge financial losses but also undermines public safety and disrupts essential services relied upon by residents.
Sanusi reaffirmed the FCT Police Command’s commitment to reducing crime through intelligence-driven operations and closer collaboration with members of the public.