By Gbenga Salau

The practice of Nigerian Police officers operating in unmarked, unregistered vehicles has sparked significant controversy, raising concerns about legal compliance and public safety.

Residents across various Lagos communities, including Amuwo-Odofin, Ketu, Alimosho, Ajegunle, Oshodi and Isolo have voiced their dissatisfaction with this approach, highlighting instances of harassment and extortion.

They argue that such operations not only violate traffic regulations but also create opportunities for criminal impersonation, thereby undermining public trust in law enforcement.

While such vehicles are often employed for covert operations, their presence on public roads and deployment for random stop and search operations including for arrests without proper identification, they said, could lead to confusion and potential misuse by some officers as well as criminals.

Many Nigerians, especially young boys who seem creative about their hairstyles and dress sense, have suffered some negative profiling from police who often take them as fraudsters.

Sharing his experience, Solomon Okeke said he was accosted by some persons who claimed to be police officers around Alakija in a mini bus painted in Lagos commercial buses colour of yellow and black.

He added that only one of the four persons in the bus was in police uniform who sat in the front seat.

“The one who came down to talk to me including harassing me was not in uniform. When I asked what the issue was, he said that they were on stop and search. And he insisted I entered the vehicle because I was not with any identity card on me. He asked where I was going to and I said I was heading to Okoko, they started moving towards Mile 2. They alleged I am an internet fraudster and I told them I was not. I was willing to take them to my house but they said I expect them to abandon their field operation to follow me to my house. After back and forth, one of them told me to offer them something so that they will not take me to the station which would mean I will still be bailed no matter what. I offered them N5000 because of the appointment I had that day.”

Also speaking on the issue, three students of University of Delta, Agbor, who chose to remain anonymous, said they were accosted at the Berger Busstop by policemen in unmarked vehicle.

“They said we should wait to be searched by them. Immediately, one of them slid his hand into my pocket and when he found my phone, he called me a yahoo boy,” said one of them, a 200 level student of cybersecurity.

“The next thing was that they drove us round the vicinity for more than 30 minutes. Our fear was that we had been kidnapped. They finally drove us to one corner of the road and brought out their POS to withdraw the money our father gave us for transportation. They eventually extorted N80,000 from us,” one of the students , who is a 200 level student of computer science, said.

Also speaking, Tunde Balogun said he was once stopped by police officers in a mini bus but did not check if it had plate number, though the policeman was not on uniform. “I requested the officer to identify himself, and he showed me an identity card and I also requested to know what he wanted. And he said stop and search operation. I did not allow him to search me; I searched myself by removing all the items in my pocket. I emptied my four pockets and they checked all items on me and left.”

Balogun, however, stated that stop and search operation should be done mainly after intelligence report has been given, meaning it must and should be done for a specific purpose.

With the around stop and search operations that the police do now with unbranded vehicles that sometimes do not have plate numbers, Balogun said there should be a time span or period for such operations, otherwise it would constitute colonisation of public space by police officers, resulting in slowing down of vehicular movement and business activity, considering time is money in Lagos.

He added that using unbranded mini buses for operation is also not the best, especially if they are not kitted they can be mistaken for kidnappers, thugs or hoodlums.

He added that vehicles with no plate numbers allows officer to abuse the process or powers of arrest, since plate numbers are part of means of tracing vehicle for investigation purposes, “In other words, there should be a proper means of identifying officers on duty. I rather prefer a branded korope or at least a police plate number.”

Opeyemi Olorunyomi observed that within her area in Ipaja Police officer usually rent commercial mini buses or punish any driver arrested with using his bus for operation.

She added that sometimes people do not even know that it is a police operation. She also warned that sometimes kidnappers can use the format to kidnap.

“So, it is dangerous. This is considering sometimes the officers will just pack and bundle people inside their vehicle. The police needs to stop that.”

On his part, a resident, who is a lawyer, Barnabas Hunjo, said the use of unmarked vehicles without number plates by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) raises several legal and constitutional concerns under Nigerian law.

He added that while certain special operations might justify covert methods, the practice must be balanced against citizens’ rights and the rule of law.

He noted that using unregistered vehicle or with no plate numbers violates the road traffic laws.

“Under Nigerian traffic laws, all motor vehicles must be registered and display number plates. This requirement is found in: National Road Traffic Regulations (2012) – Sections 3–6 and Federal Road Safety Commission Act – mandates registration and identification of vehicles. By Implication, police vehicles used without number plates technically violate traffic regulations, unless explicitly exempted during undercover or covert surveillance operations.”

He further said that unmarked, plate-less vehicles can create fear and confusion, and may be abused by criminals impersonating police officers. “Citizens may not be able to verify if an unmarked car is genuinely operated by law enforcement, increasing the risk of kidnapping, unlawful arrest, or extortion. While undercover operations may justify temporary anonymity, there’s a need for clear legal framework or internal policy governing when and how unmarked vehicles may be used and oversight mechanisms to prevent abuse.

“Unless supported by a specific warrant or covert mandate, the use of unmarked, plate-less vehicles by the Nigeria Police violates traffic and administrative laws, compromises public trust and safety and exposes the police to legal actions for unlawful arrest or rights violations,” Hunjo stated.