By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
The Nigeria Police Force has raised an alarm over the existence of an illegal Central Motor Registry (CMR) platform, warning that the illegality will not be tolerated.
Tagged ” VReg”, the NPF claimed that the platform allegedly operated by a private company engaged in performing NPF CMR duties.
Warning that the practice must cease immediately, the NPF posited that there is no legislative framework guiding the establishment of such platform.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday on the development, the Force Public Relations Officer ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi posited that the Police is the only legally recognised agency to operate the CMR.
While going memory lane, Adejobi said the Police CMR has a rich history spanning over
six decades, having been established in 1958 with a fundamental mission to combat vehicle-related crimes and bolster national security.
He pointed out that the CMR platform has been rejigged following a surge in vehicle related offenses, which include car theft, snatching, kidnapping, carjacking, hit-and-run incidents, largely attributed to the use of unregistered vehicles, tinted windows, among other factors, which posed significant challenges across the country.
His words, ” It is imperative to address certain issues in motor vehicle administration. The Nigeria Police Force’s Central Motor Registry (CMR) is a dedicated platform entrusted with specific functions that cannot be carried out by any other entity outside our institution.
” We have recently received intelligence regarding the existence of a platform called “VReg,” allegedly operated by a private company engaged in performing NPF CMR duties.
” We want to emphasize that this practice must cease immediately, as there is no legislative framework guiding such establishment.
” We wish to clarify that motor vehicle registration and licensing are within the purview of the Nigeria Police Force as our role is to acquire essential vehicle data for our repository, vital for national security.
” The cooperation of all stakeholders in facilitating digital integration to access
and validate motor vehicle data is of paramount importance in the
interest of national security.”
