THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said it would begin to enforce the digitalised Central Motor Registry (e-CMR) by Monday, July 29.
The police disclosed this through the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Saturday, July 13.
Adejobi said the development was part of the NPF’s efforts to secure lives and property and assist investigations.
“The e-CMR is an advanced, real-time online repository of motor vehicle data, designed to support police investigations, operational activities, and combat vehicle-related crimes, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and armed robbery. The transition to a digitalized system will streamline the documentation and verification processes for vehicle ownership and related transactions.
“Following the directives of the IGP, services such as change of ownership, change of license number, change of engine, and change of chassis/body would become seamless as the e-CMR system would ensure the validation of vehicle genuineness and ownership, enhancing the ability to track and recover stolen vehicles effectively, and preventing the purchase of stolen vehicles by innocent buyers,” he noted.
Adejobi also disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, had directed that the public should understand the e-CMR and its enforcement processes.
“Members of the public are urged to obtain the digitalized CMR certificate online at cmris.npf.gov.ng. For further inquiries, individuals can contact the CMR Command Centre at FHQ Abuja (08117777666, 09169892000) and FHQ Annex Lagos (08117777555, 09169891000). Technical support is also available at cmrtech@npfcmr.ng,” he further noted.
The e-CMR was introduced by the NPF in April 2023 for seamless management and registration of vehicles. It was also aimed at tracking and addressing criminal activities associated with vehicles.
Its introduction required that vehicle owners provide information about their vehicles remotely using a device with internet access.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.