FRSC recovers 2 stolen vehicles - Official

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it recovered two stolen vehicles with the aid of its National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) in Calabar, Cross River.

The Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

NAN reports that NVIS is a database of all number plates generated and produced in the country.

Kazeem said the vehicles, both Toyota Highlanders were allegedly stolen in Ibadan, Oyo and Aba in Abia on different dates respectively.

According to him, the suspected buyers were caught when they took the vehicles for registration in their own names at the FRSC office in Calabar.

He said in the process, the NVIS Desk Officer in Calabar detected disparities in the names of the original owners and those of the registration applicants.

Kazeem said that one of the vehicles, stolen in 2014 was originally registered in the name of one Tobechukwu Okeke with plate number KSF533AC and chassis number JTEHF21A410031320.

According to the statement, the vehicle was found on July 24, when the suspected buyer, Mrs Chika Onyeama, came to re-register it at the Calabar office.

He said that in the process the NVIS desk officer discovered that the chassis number of the vehicle had already been registered in Okeke’s name.

Kazeem said that second vehicle, previously registered in the name of one Omadewu Jeff with plate and chassis number YAB993BX and JTEEP21A040047924, was stolen in Aba, Abia in April.

“The theft was discovered on July 21 when the suspected buyer came to register it, and the vehicle was recovered on July 25.

“The Acting Sector Commander in Calabar, Lucky Ugenlo, disclosed that the suspected buyer of the second vehicle, Simon Peter, had a plate number KTA766GS already assigned to the vehicle.

“In view of the successful recovery of the vehicles now in police custody with the suspected buyers, the Corps Marshal emphasised the need for every vehicle to have a comprehensive registration papers.

“He added that it was only in this manner that they would easily be recovered when stolen,’’ Kazeem said.