The Oyo State Commissioner of Police (CP), Ayodele Sonubi, has described driving unregistered vehicles as an abnormality requiring the impoundment of such cars by the police.
The CP said this following Monday’s enforcement campaign of the third-party insurance policy on motorists within the Ibadan metropolis.
Mr Sonubi said the command would start impounding vehicles with irregular documents, and their owners would be taken before the law court.
He said the third-party vehicle insurance enforcement would be a continuous exercise in compliance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun.
According to Mr Sonubi, those driving imported vehicles (Tokunbo) have a speculated period allowed by law to regularise their papers accordingly.
“Every vehicle on the road ought to have basic documents to ply the road, especially the insurance policy, in which third-party vehicle insurance is the least of all categories of insurance,” he said.
He explained that a holder would be entitled to a level of claim to soften the impact of an accident or car loss.
The police boss regrets that most Nigerians love to have the best of things without loving to put things that ought to be in place.
He cleared the misconception surrounding the policy as one put up to enrich both the government and the insurance companies.
Mr Sonubi said enforcing third-party vehicle insurance on motorists was part of the different ways to ensure vehicles were roadworthy and had valid documents.
“This thing is in the interest of the individual holder. If we expect good things from the government, we should learn to play our role as citizens to encourage the government to do more,” he said.
One of the motorists arrested for driving unregistered vehicles, Waheed Adelakun, said the effort was for the safety of motorists.
“I will not fall victim again,” he said.
The vehicle of a commercial driver was impounded for not having valid driving documents, while others were sensitised and allowed to go.
(NAN)