PHOTOS: Police Unveil E-CMR Enforcemen Patrol Van 

E-CMR e-enforcement patrol van and gadgets. With these equipment, no stress for vehicle owners and policemen on duty. Technology at work. These will be launched when the police are ready for the enforcement. We, however, need to embark on massive public education and enlightenment on the importance and features of the e-CMR to Nigerians and our security system.

The e-CMR debate

The police Central Motor Registry (CMR) has always existed.

However, the Inspector General of Police announced that they were going to digitise the registry and create an electronic central motor registry information system. 

He said that policemen would no longer need to stop motorists to demand for their papers because they would be able to access the registry from the computers in their patrol cars and determine if a vehicle is registered, if it has been stolen, etc. People whose cars have been stolen only need to inform the police and the cars would be flagged on the system and the patrol officers would be able to determine that the cars have been stolen simply by checking their in-car computer. 

The police set a deadline for motorists to register for the e-CMR.

However, many activists, including the Nigerian Bar Association condemned the system. They said that the law does not permit the police to register vehicles and that the police was taking over the powers of other government agencies. They also condemned the fee that motorists would have to pay to register for the e-CMR (around ₦5,000 to ₦6,000) . They said that Nigerians are going through a lot and the police should not add to their burden. They threatened to sue the police if it forces motorists to have the e-CMR.

The Inspector General of Police subsequently suspended the enforcement of the e-CMR and said that they were going to use the time to sensitise stakeholders on the need for the e-CMR. He said that the law permits the police to develop strategies to combat crime and that it was not true that the e-CMR was illegal. 

Note: It was only the enforcement of the e-CMR that was postponed/suspended. Motorists are still registering on the system.