The Federal Road Safety Corps says it will not be deterred by threats from the National Association of Nigerian Students over the impoundment of vehicles with fake number plates.

The FRSC corps marshal, Shehu Mohammed, said this in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Mohammed said the FRSC’s primary concern was the safety and security of all road users and that it would continue to carry out its statutory responsibilities without fear or favour.

He said FRSC was committed to maintaining the integrity of the National Vehicle Identification Scheme and would not be intimidated by threats from any individual or group.

According to the corps marshal, the attention of the FRSC has been drawn to a purported threat issued by the NANS.

He said, “The special operations is a fallout from the increasing abuse of the Nigerian number plates by organisations and faceless individuals. These are people who desire to drag the nation back to the olden days of indiscriminate, unregistered and irregular use of number plates.

“This special operation aims of undermining the gains of enhanced security uniformity, data storage and retrieval under the National Uniform Licensing Scheme (NULS).

Mr Mohammed said it was difficult to comprehend that Nigerian students who were supposed to be at the forefront of a law-abiding nation would resort to issuing such threats to FRSC.

The FRSC boss, however, called on the NANS leadership to reconsider and withdraw the reported threats.

Mr Mohammed said FRSC commanding officers nationwide had been directed not to succumb to any intimidation or threats from individuals or organisations in the guise of promoting acts likely to compromise the objectives of the National Vehicle Identification Scheme and national security.

This, he said, was necessary, especially when carrying out their statutory responsibilities of keeping the nation’s highways safe and secure for all road users.

(NAN)