FRSC recovers 11 stolen vehicles through national database in Jos

*The Federal Road Safety Corps has urged vehicle owners to always follow the due process in the registration of their vehicles with correct vehicle details in the national vehicle database, as Zone RS4 recovers 11 stolen vehicles in Jos, Plateau State

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has urged vehicle owners to always follow the due process in the registration of their vehicles with correct vehicle details in the country’s national database.

Assistant Corps Marshal (Dr.) Kayode Olagunju, mni, Zonal Commanding Officer (ZCO) of the FRSC, in Zone 4, comprising Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa States, stated that the Zone recovered 11 stolen vehicles in the last one year, and handed same over to the Police for further investigation and prosecution of the suspects.

RC Olusegun Owoeye, Acting Public Education Officer, Zone RS4, in a statement Tuesday, March 9 said ACM Olagunju disclosed this while making urging vehicle owners to always follow the due process in the registration of their vehicles.

The FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer disclosed that the stolen vehicles were discovered at the point of re-registration and uploading of the vehicle details to the National Database across the Zone.

The statement noted the vehicles recovered were six Toyota Corolla cars, two Toyota Camry, 1 Toyota Tacoma, 1 Pontiac Vibe and 1 Mazda 323 vehicles.

Dr. Olagunju observed that most of the recovered vehicles were carted away through burglaries, armed robberies, and from unmanned parking lots, such as during public functions/ceremony at different locations across the country.

He stressed the importance of having correct vehicle details, such as chassis and engine numbers, vehicle type, make, model and owner’s details in the national vehicle central databank to make re-registration of such stolen impossible.

According to the ZCO, such attempts are immediately flagged and the attention of security agencies is attracted.

The Zonal Commander also reiterated the importance of vehicle registration and number plate procurement as mandated in Section 10 (4) of the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act, 2007 and Regulation 2 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 as amended.

He enjoined vehicle owners to always abide by relevant regulations, such as Regulation 12 on change of vehicle ownership, regulation 13 on change of vehicle colour, regulation 14 on replacement of engine of already registered vehicle and regulations 36-39 on vehicle identification number.

These measures are to ensure the safety and security of vehicles, which aid prompt retrieval of stolen vehicles, he stated.

According to the Zonal Commanding Officer, the Corps has been collaborating with the Police, Boards of Internal Revenue, and other sister agencies as part of efforts at ensuring safety of lives and property in the Zone.

He assured that the FRSC would continue to deploy appropriate technology in tackling safety and security issues in the road traffic safety and administration strategies.

Olagunju, therefore, enjoined members of the public to always verify the identity of car ownership through National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) office, or through the Information Verification Portal (nvis.frsc.gov.ng) before buying “second hand”/used vehicles, to avoid buying stolen vehicles.

The FRSC chief also admonished the public to promptly report any case of stolen vehicle to the appropriate authority for tracking and possible recovery.

He called on all road users to always observe traffic rules, regulations, and COVID 19 protocols.