Human Rights Activist Faults Operation VELVET, Urges Police to Protect Motorists from Licensing Failures

By Chukwunonso Eric, Warri.

ASABA, Delta State — The Delta State Director of the Conference for the Actualisation of Human Rights, Prince Ukuanovwe Godstime Oj, has criticised the ongoing Operation VELVET enforcement exercise by the Delta State Police Command, urging authorities to review its implementation to prevent motorists from being punished for administrative failures.

In a statement, Godstime acknowledged the Nigerian Police Force’s responsibility to protect lives and property, maintain public order and enforce the law. However, he stressed that policing must be carried out within the limits of the law and with due regard for citizens’ rights, welfare and the prevailing economic hardship.

The human-rights advocate particularly raised concerns about motorists who have completed the required vehicle registration processes and paid the prescribed fees but are unable to obtain or display their number plates due to delays, system failures or other shortcomings by vehicle licensing authorities. He argued that such individuals should not automatically be treated as lawbreakers when the failure to complete the process is beyond their control.

Godstime also cautioned against the police becoming perceived as a revenue-generating agency, insisting that the Force’s primary responsibility should remain crime prevention, public safety and the protection of lives and property. He called for improved coordination between licensing agencies and the police, alongside the use of technology, intelligence-led policing and proactive security strategies.

He further disclosed plans to engage the organisation’s National Director, Barrister Maxwell Omemiroro Ogedegbe, to undertake a legal and human-rights review of the operation and determine appropriate lawful steps where citizens’ rights may have been violated.

Godstime clarified that the organisation’s position was not intended to obstruct legitimate policing activities, but to ensure that enforcement remains lawful, humane, transparent and accountable. He maintained that security measures should make communities safer without imposing unnecessary hardship on law-abiding citizens.

— Prince Ukuanovwe Godstime Oj
Delta State Director, Conference for the Actualisation of Human Rights