Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has ordered immediate suspension of the July 29 plan to commence the enforcement of the e-Central Motor Registry, e-CMR.
In a statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the suspension was to give ample opportunity for mass enlightenment and education of the public on the process, benefits and effectiveness of e-CMR.
Adejobi added that the IGP had urged police officers to desist from requesting for e-CMR certificates.
According to him, any officers found extorting or exploiting the public on the guise of not having e-CMR certificates will be sanctioned.
Adejobi also said the enforcement would be done by only dedicated officers from a date to be announced later.
He explained that the e-CMR was designed to address the challenges of vehicle-related crimes and protection of individual and corporate vehicle ownership. The registration would help to collate the data imputed into the system by vehicle owners and acting on such to flag the vehicles if reported stolen.
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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.
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.
It will also add value to the national database and incident report portal generated from other Ministries, Departments and Agencies towards general security.
The Police spokesperson insists that contrary to news making the rounds and insinuations about the e-CMR, the Nigeria Police wishes to state categorically that the e-CMR is not a revenue-generating platform.
He said the platform was an initiative to digitalise policing for effectiveness and general safety of lives and property of Nigerian residents.
He therefore called for the understanding and support of all well-meaning Nigerians and residents to key into the e-CMR system.
Recall that AIT.live had reported on July 13 the order given by the IGP for enforcement of the digitalised e-CMR as
from July 29, 2024
The Police Chief had emphasised that the move is to modernise and digitise the motor vehicle registration system to bolster the country’s safety and security framework.
The e-CMR is an advanced, real-time online repository of motor vehicle data, designed to support police investigations, and operational activities, and combat vehicle-related crimes, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and armed robbery.
The transition to a digitalised system, according to the police, would streamline the documentation and verification processes for vehicle ownership and related transactions.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
