The Federal Capital Territory Administration has announced the reasons for impounding more than 700 vehicles, citing offences such as the use of fake number plates, illegal tinted glass, and other traffic violations(FCTA).
The Director of the FCTA Department of Security Services, Adamu Gwary, made this disclosure late on the night of Monday, 18 august, 2025 during a late-night stop-and-search operation at Apo-Wassa junction and the Karu axis of the FCT.
Gway, represented by the Secretary of the Command and Control Centre, Dr. Peter Olumuji, said the exercise is the second phase of Operation Sweep Abuja Clean, a multi-agency initiative aimed at curbing “one-chance” robberies and recovering stolen vehicles.
“As at now in Operation Sweep, we have impounded over 700 vehicles from both the first and second phases.The operation has drastically reduced the incidence of one chance to the barest minimum.
“Our stop-and-search exercise has made it clear to criminals that no matter where they are in the FCT, the team will always reach them,” he said.
He explained that intelligence gathered from victims revealed that most vehicles used in “one-chance” robberies were illegally tinted, unregistered, or bore fake number plates.
Gwary warned motorists, particularly commercial drivers, against using tinted glasses, stressing that criminals exploit them to conceal their activities.
“We are seeing people who are into businesses using tinted glass.
“Most of the victims that we have interrogated who have fallen victim of one chance, they always let us know that the vehicles they boarded are tinted,” he added just as he also disclosed, recovered seven stolen vehicles within the last week alone, while appealing to residents to endure the temporary inconveniences caused by the stop-and-search operations, noting that the measures were meant to safeguard lives and property.
