The new Federal Road Safety Corps Sector Commander in Cross River State, Elizabeth Akinlade has warned Nigerians against selling their vehicles with number plates.
She gave the warning when she paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Cross River State Council in Calabar.
The Sector Commander said the warning became necessary to protect unsuspecting members of the public against selling their vehicles to people of questionable character.
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According to Akinlade, the original owner of the vehicle will be held responsible if it is used to perpetrate a crime after it had been sold.
She said the corps had a data bank of the original owners of all vehicles in the country, adding that when a car is sold, a new buyer ought to do change of ownership.
She said: “Don’t sell your vehicle with the plate number because in our data bank, the name of the original owner of the vehicle, including his address, is stored.
“If the vehicle is used to carry out a crime, with the information in our data bank, the original owner may be arrested, even if he knows nothing about the crime, but sold the car with the plate number.
“One of our strategic goals is to have a robust data bank because without data you may not be able to do much.”
Akinlade said the main goal of the corps in Cross River State in 2022 would be to reduce road crashes by 15 per cent, adding that it could only be possible with a cordial relationship with the media.
“We have lost a lot of people, especially breadwinners, some of whom have been rendered incapacitated, that is why we continue to urge the media to help us push the message of defensive driving to the public,” she said.
In his remarks, Victor Udu, Chairman of the NUJ, Cross River State Council, thanked the Sector Commander for her visit and urged the command to make the process of getting vehicle licence easy.
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Udu appealed to members of the public to ensure that their papers were up-to-date and their vehicles in good condition, especially their tyres, side mirrors and rear glasses, to minimise altercations with FRSC officials.
“If we do what the law says, we will have less frictions with FRSC and whenever they stop you for breaking the law, be gentle enough to appeal to them and not claim right,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Akinlade took over from Ocheja Ameh at the Cross River State Command.