A car’s plate number can be said to be a unique identification number given to a car. This identification number is usually displayed at the back and front of the car so it can easily be identified by relevant authorities.
In Nigeria, the agency most concerned with these plate numbers is the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) who also ensures the rules and regulations that guide road usage in Nigeria are enforced. In this article we will be taking a look on how to check a car plate number owner in Nigeria.
Why You Might Need To Check A Car Plate Number Owner
There are different legal and justified reasons why you might need to check a car plate number owner.
You might have witnessed a hit-and-run situation and managed to get the plate number of the runaway driver, or you might have been robbed and you got the plate number of the car used by the culprits.
You might also want to be a patriotic citizen by reporting a reckless driver who is not taking his life and that of other road users into consideration.
It is also possible you want to buy a used car but verify its owner to avoid being scammed.
Another important reason for checking for the owner of a car’s plate number is if the plate number is actually yours but you want to be sure your car is registered under the Federal Road Safety Commission.
These reasons and more are valid reasons to find out the owner of a car plate number in Nigeria.
For the sake of this guide, we will be grouping the reasons for checking a car plate number owner in Nigeria into 2 groups: non-legal and legal issues
Non-legal issues are situations where law enforcement agencies do not need to be involved. A good example is verifying your own plate number.
On the other hand, checking a car plate number’s owner for legal issues are situations where law enforcement agencies are much needed alongside court orders.
Examples of this situation include getting the plate number owner of a car used for illegal activities or reporting a reckless driver to law enforcement agencies like the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).
1. Checking a car plate number owner for Non-legal issues
Below are the ways to verify a car plate number owner information for non legal reasons in Nigeria.
Checking Plate Numbers On The FRSC’s Website
The Federal Road Safety Commission has a website where you can check and verify car plate numbers on it’s database.
This website is easy to use, does not take too much time to load, and can be done on any phone with an internet connection.
With this method, you can verify or check a car plate number owner information online.
Follow these steps to check a car’s plate number on the FRSC’s National Vehicle Identification Service (NVIS) platform.
- Visit https://nvis.frsc.gov.ng/VehicleManagement/VerifyPlateNo
- Launch the number plate in the box (space is not allowed)
- Proceed by clicking “Verify
2. Checking a car plate number owner for legal issues
If you have a genuine and legal reason to involve law enforcement agents in your search, you have to go through some processes.
The end result of these processes yields more specific results as you could even get to know the home address of the plate number’s owner.
These processes could prove to be stressful but the end result would most times give a high level of satisfaction.
To check for a car number plate owner information in Nigeria, follow the procedure below.
1. Report to the nearest police station: Find the police station nearest to you and provide the necessary details about the car.
Give a reasonable explanation on why you need to check for the owner of the plate number.
Ask for a document backed by court order: While at the police station, request for a document that would give you the right to search for the owner of the plate number.
Visit the nearest FRSC office: After you acquire documents from the police, your next step should be to visit an FRSC office.
There, you will present the documents and you will be asked further questions. If the FRSC officials are convinced enough, they will download the information you need from the government’s database.
This information will include the vehicle type, name of owner, and ID card number. You would also be given the address of the plate number’s owner which you should present to the police.
You could also consider hiring a private investigator’s services but doing so could cost you a lot of money.
If you choose to do so, hire a trusted private investigator so you will not become the victim of fake private investigators or the ones that would not handle the situation professionally.
