Security agencies on Friday said that they seized four cars from the residence of the former Vice President Professor John Evans Atta Mills for continuing to use security operational registration numbers limited to their operatives.

The cars, a Toyota Land Cruiser, two Toyota Corollas and one Ford Condor, have since been released to Professor Mills' family, a reliable source at the Bureau of National Investigations said.

The source said: "When we discovered that they were using operational numbers we were compelled to find out why and for what purpose." It said upon investigations, Mars Naadu Mills, wife of Prof. Mills, said that the cars were part of the end of service benefits of the former Vice President.

The source said it was not the fault of the Mills' family that they did not effect a change of ownership after the transition period. "Somebody should have informed them, somebody did not do his work."

The source, however, noted that the Mills were fortunate not to have been confronted all along since the registration numbers of the cars could have caused them an embarrassment anywhere in the country.

The source noted that the Mills family had since been directed to effect a change of ownership and reregister the cars.