IGP Egbetokun Orders Suspension Of Issuance Of Certificate To Vehicle Owners

By Ayodele Oni

Coming few hours after it vowed to go ahead with the new vehicle registration, the Nigeria Police Force has announced the suspension of the enforcement of the electronic Central Motor Registry registration process (e-CMR) on vehicle owners.

The Force will now embark on educating vehicle owners on advantages of the scheme.

It also insisted that the scheme should not be seen as an opportunity to generate revenue by the force.

The Police had earlier announced that the enforcement would commence on July 29, which would have led to sanctions on vehicle owners who do not posses the e-CMR.

Nigerians had condemned the announcement and the Nigeria Bar Association, (NBA) gave the Police one week to rescind the decision.

Announcing the suspension in a statement on Sunday, police Spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, defended the decision of the Police to issue the certificate to vehicle owners who pay for it.

The statement reads: “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.

“It 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.

“Similarly, 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.

“This will add value to the national database and incident report portal generated from other Ministries, Departments and Agencies towards general security.

“Furthermore, contrary to news making the round and insinuations about the e-CMR, the NPF wishes to state categorically that 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.

“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has ordered an immediate suspension of the proposed enforcement of the e-CMR initially scheduled to commence on the 29th of July, 2024.

“This is to give ample opportunity for mass enlightenment and education of all citizens and residents on the process, benefits and effectiveness in solving the challenge of vehicle related crimes, and protection of individual and corporate vehicle ownership.

“In light of this, we seek the understanding and support of all well-meaning Nigerians and residents to key into the e-CMR system.

“In the same vein, the IGP charges all Police officers to desist from requesting for e-CMR certificates.

“Individuals found extorting or exploiting members of the public on the guise of not having e-CMR certificates will be sanctioned accordingly as the enforcement will be done by only dedicated officers.”