Police stop enforcing controversial e-CMR for vehicle owners • Okay.ng

The Nigerian Police have announced that enforcement of the controversial Electronic Central Register of Motor Vehicles (e-CMR) for vehicle owners will be suspended.

Enforcement was originally scheduled to begin on July 29 and would have resulted in sanctions against vehicle owners without e-CMR.

In a statement on Sunday, police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi defended the decision to issue the certificate to vehicle owners who pay for it. “The e-CMR will provide the police with a first-hand database to help them curb vehicular crimes as dedicated officers will be able to access comprehensive data on each vehicle on their tablets in real time,” he wrote.

Mr. Adejobi explained that the Commissioner of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had suspended enforcement to allow for comprehensive sensitization and education of the public on the e-CMR process.

He said: “The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has ordered an immediate suspension of the planned enforcement of the e-CMR, which was originally scheduled to commence on July 29, 2024. This is to provide ample opportunity for widespread awareness and education of all citizens and residents on the process, benefits and effectiveness in addressing the problem of vehicular crime as well as protecting vehicle ownership by individuals and businesses.”