- In a statement on Sunday, Adejobi announced that the IG has suspended the enforcement of the e-CMR
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has suspended the enforcement of electronic central motor registry registration for vehicle owners in the country.
Previously, the Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, announced on Saturday that the IG had ordered the enforcement of the e-CMR to begin on July 29.
This enforcement order led to public outcry, with Nigerians accusing the police of using it as a means to extort vehicle owners. John Aikpokpo-Martins, chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, also criticized the directive, calling it a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
However, in a statement on Sunday, Adejobi announced that the IG has suspended the enforcement of the e-CMR. He emphasized the need to educate citizens about the initiative, which aims to enhance vehicle security.
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.”
Adejobi denied that the e-CMR was a revenue-generating platform.