The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has stopped the enforcement of electronic central motor registry registration for vehicle owners in the country.
The Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement said the order was suspended following the realisation of a need to sensitise the citizens on the initiative, which he said was designed to secure vehicles
“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 registrations of vehicles and serve as a database to collate biometric and other data of vehicle owners and individuals, adding value to the national database and incident report portal generated from other Ministries, Departments and Agencies towards general security.”
Adejobi said the e-CMR was not going to generate fund but meant to digitalise policing for effectiveness and general safety of lives and property of Nigeria residents. “
The Force urged the citizens to key into the initiative, and warned police officers to stop requesting the e-CMR certificate from vehicle owners, adding that anyone caught would be punished.
Adejobi said “the IGP charges all Police officers to desist from requesting e-CMR certificates as 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 which will be done by only dedicated officers has been suspended till further notice. “
The IG on Saturday announced that the enforcement of the e-CMR would start on July 29.
The order sparked an outcry from Nigerians, who accused the police of creating an opportunity to extort vehicle owners.
Also, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, John Aikpokpo-Martins, said the directive by Egbetokun to begin enforcing the digitised Central Motor Registry was a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
