Two years after the United Nations (UN) building was hit by a car bomb in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the registration number of the bomber car is yet to be traced.
Authorities of the Road Traffic Services popularly known as Vehicle Inspection of Officers (VIO) yesterday declared that the number was fake and could not be traced in its data base.
The Public Relations Officer, FCT Road Traffic Services, K. K. Iloduba Jnr, who disclosed this in an interview with National Mirror, said the introduction of a new number plate system is tied to the problem of insecurity in the country.
He said a lot of vehicles did not pass through the due process of registration, leading to the proliferation of fake number plates.
Iloduba said the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) came up with the new number plate scheme to checkmate the activities of criminals who leverage on loopholes that existed in the old numbering system.
"Before now, it was easy for a Nigerian to buy a car in Lagos and obtain Abuja plate number. But it is not proper because it was not done the right way and at the end of the day you discover that such registration is fake.
"And you will recall that the vehicle that was used in bombing the United Nations building sometime ago had Abuja registration number but it could not be traced in our system. And at the end of the day, we discovered that it was a fake number plate.
"That was why the Corps Marshal, whose organisation has the mandate to print number plates for all states of the federation aside, Lagos that is printing her own number plate, came up with a new number plate scheme to break the rank of number plate racketeers."
According to a statement by the State Security Services (SSS), investigation had revealed that the car used for the attack was a Honda car with Kano State registration number AV38NSR. It was purchased on 3rd September, 2002 and registered on 3rd December, 2002.
The vehicle identification number is 1HGCBA7400A100748, Engine number, F22A72000540.
At least 21 people were killed in the car bomb explosion which took place on Friday, August 26, 2011.
Source: UN building: Bomber's car number plate untraceable –VIO (http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/un-building-bombers-car-number-plate-untraceable-vio/)
That's pretty much strange because this is something no one would expect. Those people are running NEAT operations! It's obvious....