The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have agreed to strengthen collaboration to curb the abuse, falsification, impersonation, illegal possession, and misuse of diplomatic and official number plates across Nigeria.
The agreement was reached during a courtesy visit by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, to the Corps Public Education Officer and FRSC Spokesperson, Deputy Corps Commander Osondu Ohaeri, at the FRSC National Headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting, held on Monday, also included discussions between Ebienfa and Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, Operations, on ways to enhance cooperation between both institutions in addressing emerging security concerns linked to the proliferation of fake diplomatic number plates and other official vehicle identification documents.
Speaking during the engagement, Ebienfa said the Ministry is currently running a campaign against the illegal use of ambassadorial titles by unauthorized individuals, noting that some offenders also make use of fake diplomatic passports and vehicle number plates.
He stressed the need for stronger inter-agency coordination to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s diplomatic identification system.
In his remarks, Assistant Corps Marshal Ogungbemide highlighted recent nationwide enforcement operations carried out by the FRSC to identify and confiscate illegally obtained diplomatic, official, and government number plates.
He said the operations, conducted across several states, led to the interception of about 1,000 vehicles found using fake diplomatic plates, unauthorized government plates, cloned registration documents, and other fraudulent vehicle identification materials.
Both institutions expressed concern that the misuse of diplomatic number plates undermines the integrity of Nigeria’s diplomatic privileges and immunities framework while posing security risks.
They reaffirmed their commitment to working together to protect Nigeria’s diplomatic system and strengthen measures aimed at preventing the abuse of official identification documents and vehicle registration processes.