The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered an immediate suspension of the July 29 plan to commence the enforcement of the e-Central Motor Registry (e-CMR).
The Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, had on Saturday said the IG ordered that the enforcement of the e-CMR should commence on July 29.
The enforcement order sparked an outcry from Nigerians, who accused the police of creating an opportunity to extort vehicle owners.
Also, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, John Aikpokpo-Martins, said the directive by Egbetokun to begin enforcing the e-CMR was a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
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However, in another statement on Sunday, Adejobi, said the IGP had now suspended the enforcement of the e-CMR, adding that the suspension was to give ample opportunity for mass enlightenment and education of the public on the process, benefits and effectiveness of e-CMR.
The police spokesman said the IGP had urged police officers to desist from requesting e-CMR certificates.
According to him, officers found extorting or exploiting the public in the guise of not having e-CMR certificates will be sanctioned.
Adejobi said the enforcement would be done by only dedicated officers from a date to be announced later.
He said the e-CMR was designed to address the challenges of vehicle-related crimes and protection of individual and corporate vehicle ownership.
Adejobi said the registration would help to collate the data imputed into the system by vehicle owners and act on such to flag the vehicles if reported stolen.
According to him, “Contrary to news making the rounds and insinuations about the e-CMR, the Nigeria Police wishes to state categorically that the e-CMR is not a revenue-generating platform.”
These are some of the responses on Social Media by Nigerians:
e-CMR is another unnecessary establishment scam. Police should work for their money or create a user-friendly portal, not this 10 whole steps.https://t.co/q19wAy53bt
— Good Governance (@opara_ernest) December 25, 2023
Dear Rep @FKLaguda
I bring this to your notice that the Police is engaging in an illegality not supported by law.As a Surulere resident, the @PoliceNG should not demand that I register for this E-CMR after I have duly registered my vehicle with the @FRSCNigeria.
Please do take… https://t.co/OGzaLvQqmC
— Akin Bello (@AkinBello) July 13, 2024
gg
Dem Say Nigeria Police don Suspend E-CMR Process for Social Orientation, Wetin Una Wan tell Us wey we Never know ?
— BAMBAM (@OGBENI_BAMBAM) July 14, 2024
How Many Mobile Phone Trackers does Police have Nationwide in a Nigeria Notorious for mobile phones theft|loss~Nigeria Police have Not Solved Such~Yet Promoting One Contractor to Hammer on Nigerians Head with one Kangaroo E-CMR? I support Police Success~But On this One? No! … https://t.co/Al3HzYupB2
— Isuph JT (@IsuphJt) July 14, 2024
E-CMR.
Why should I have to renew the data of my vehicle annually?
What happens to the data after one year?
This is nothing short of revenue generating.
₦5,536 × 12 million vehicles(estimates) = ₦66,432,000,000
So the Police will be generating ₦66.4B annually? pic.twitter.com/Y1WmxYLXAo
— Paul Bem (@Paul_bem) July 15, 2024
The Nigerian police can’t wait for July 29th to come and go😂
Streets go full with police, driving almost all vehicles into their stations for not having the e-CMR Certificate as 90% of drivers are not aware of such certificate.
Crazy days ahead😂 pic.twitter.com/tCQSty1XhW
— Silva-Ope Oladipupo (@DonSilsz) July 14, 2024
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