The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ebonyi State Command, has recovered a vehicle reported stolen in Benue State 11 years ago.
The State Sector Commander, Mr Daniel Asanya, disclosed this on Monday while speaking with journalists in Abakaliki.
Asanya said the vehicle, a Toyota Camry, was stolen in 2015 but was recently discovered when its current owner presented it for registration at the Vehicle Licensing Office in Abakaliki.
He explained that the discovery was made during the process of uploading the vehicle’s chassis number to the FRSC National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) portal.
According to him, the official handling the registration entered the chassis number into the system, which immediately flagged an existing record linked to a different individual.
“The number came up with a GSM contact, and when our officer called, the person confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen from him in Benue in 2015 and had not been seen since then,” Asanya said.
He noted that the development raised suspicion, prompting the command to alert relevant authorities.
The sector commander added that the individual who presented the vehicle for registration claimed to have purchased it from a car stand in Abakaliki, unaware of its status.
Asanya advised prospective vehicle buyers to ensure proper documentation and verification through the FRSC database before completing any purchase.
He emphasized that confirmation from the FRSC registration system remains the only reliable means of verifying the authenticity of a vehicle.
The FRSC boss further disclosed that the case has been handed over to the police for thorough investigation.
Efforts to get a response from the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Joshua Ukandu, were unsuccessful as calls to his phone were not answered at the time of filing this report.
