Police in Kwara State have commenced Operation Velvet, a continuous enforcement initiative aimed at ensuring strict adherence to traffic laws, promoting responsible driving, enhancing road safety, and protecting the lives and property of all road users across the state. The operation forms part of a nationwide rollout launched in line with a directive from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, aimed at strengthening traffic law enforcement, improving road safety and easing vehicular movement across affected states.
Similar phases of the operation already underway in other states offer a guide to what residents in Kwara can expect. Under the exercise, police personnel typically focus on offences considered capable of endangering road users or disrupting traffic flow, including reckless and dangerous driving, driving against traffic, excessive speeding, dangerous overtaking, obstruction of traffic and illegal parking. Enforcement also extends to driving without a valid licence or other required documents, the use of unregistered vehicles or vehicles without number plates, and fake, altered, defaced or concealed number plates.
In other commands, additional violations targeted have included serious overloading and the unauthorised use of sirens, with area commanders, divisional police officers and other operational commanders directed to ensure effective implementation of the exercise.
The operation is generally structured around joint enforcement teams conducting intensified patrols, stop-and-search operations and targeted enforcement on major roads and highways, as well as in urban centres, markets, motor parks and other traffic-prone locations. Traffic offenders typically face sanctions in accordance with the law, including arrest, impoundment of vehicles and prosecution where necessary.
Police commands running the operation elsewhere have been explicit that it is not intended as a tool for harassment. Commands have stressed that Operation Velvet is not meant to harass or intimidate law-abiding citizens, but to promote discipline, orderliness and responsible use of roads, urging residents to view the exercise as a collective road safety initiative aimed at preventing avoidable loss of lives and property. Officers deployed for the operation have also been directed to conduct enforcement lawfully and with respect for the rights and dignity of members of the public, with warnings issued against using the exercise as a platform for extortion, harassment, intimidation or unlawful seizure of vehicles and documents.
With the operation now active in Kwara, authorities are expected to issue further details in the coming days on local enforcement priorities, designated patrol zones, and specific contact channels for residents to report concerns or emergencies related to the exercise.
