The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has put a halt to the nation’s automobile owners’ use of the electronic central motor registry registration system.
The IG issued a directive on Saturday, according to Force Spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi, directing that the e-CMR’s enforcement start on July 29.
Nigerians expressed outrage over the enforcement order, accusing the police of setting up a chance to extort car owners.
John Aikpokpo-Martins, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, added that Egbetokun’s order to start enforcing the Central Motor Registry’s digitization was a flagrant disobedience of the law.
However, Adejobi declared in a statement on Sunday that the IG has halted the e-CMR’s enforcement.
He went on to say that the project, which was intended to secure vehicles, needed to be made more widely known to the public.
He said, “Following the reconfiguration and commencement of the electronic central motor registry registration process the Police have 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.
“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.”
He warned police officers to stop requesting the e-CMR certificate from vehicle owners, adding that anyone caught would be punished.
Adejobi added, “ 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 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. “
