Following public outcry, the inspector-general of police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun, has ordered the suspension of the planned enforcement of the Electronic Central Motor Registry (e-CMR) for vehicle owners in the country.
The IGP also ordered the officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to embark on massive enlightenment of all Nigerians on the importance of the digitized registration initiative before the commencement of enforcement.
The Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, while announcing the suspension in a statement on Monday morning, said: “the inspector-general of police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun has ordered an immediate suspension of the proposed enforcement of the e-CMR initially scheduled to commence on July 29, 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.
“Members of the public are urged to obtain the digitalized CMR certificate online at https://cmris.npf.gov.ng. For further inquiries, individuals can contact the 24/7 hotline (02018870133), CMR Command Centre at FHQ Abuja (08117777666, 09169892000) and FHQ Annex Lagos (08117777555, 09169891000). Technical support is also available at cmrtech@npfcmr.ng.”
The Force PRO further stated that 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 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.”
It should be noted that 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, adding value to the national database and incident report portal generated from other Ministries, Departments and Agencies towards general security.