Victor Ezeja
Following wide reactions from Nigerians, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered immediate suspension of the proposed enforcement of the electronic Central Motor Registry (e-CMR).
Prime Business Africa had reported that the police on Saturday, announced that it would begin enforcement of e-CMR on 29 July 2024.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe announcement was trailed with heavy criticisms by Nigerians who accused the police of creating an avenue for revenue generation thereby increasing the tax burden of the people.
However, the police in a statement released Sunday night, signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (PRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that contrary to the speculations, the e-CMR is not a revenue generating platform, “but an initiative to digitalize policing for effectiveness and general safety of lives and property of Nigeria residents.”
Adejobi highlighted the benefits of the e-CMR platform, saying it is designed to curb theft of all types of vehicle by using data entered into the system by vehicle owners and acting on such to flag the vehicles if reported stolen.
He added that the initiative can also help in combating other crimes including armed robbery, terrorism and kidnapping.
He said: “Following the reconfiguration and commencement of the electronic central motor registry registration process (e-CMR), the Police has deemed it necessary to highlight the benefits and effectiveness of the e-CMR initiative which is designed to ensure the safety and security of all types of vehicles including motorcycles by collating data imputed into the system by vehicle owners and acting on such to flag the vehicles if reported stolen.
“The e-CMR will provide a firsthand database to the Force for curbing vehicular crimes as dedicated officers can access real-time comprehensive data of every vehicle on their tablets.”
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The the Force PRO further stated that the e-CMR will prevent multiple registration of vehicles and serve as a database to collate biometric and other data of vehicle owners and individuals, and would also add value to the national database and incident report portal generated from other Ministries, Departments and Agencies towards general security.
However, due to criticism of the initiative, Adejobi said the IGP decided to suspend the enforcement to allow ample time for mass enlightenment of all citizens and residents about the process, benefits and effectiveness in solving the challenge of vehicle theft and other related crimes.
The police nevertheless, urged members of the public to key into to the initiative and obtain their digitalized CMR certificate online at cmris.npf.gov.ng.
The statement added that the IGP directed all Police officers to desist from requesting for e-CMR certificates, warning that any officer found extorting money from members of the public on the guise of not having e-CMR certificates “will be sanctioned accordingly as the enforcement which will be done by only dedicated officers has been suspended till further notice.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
