No fewerr than 612 stolen vehicles have been recovered by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) through the use of the new Electronic Central Motor Registry (E-CMR).
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi disclosed this in a statement issued on the use of the E-CMR.
Adejobi said the first batch of seven stolen vehicles reported through the E-CMR platform was flagged for investigation, with three already recovered.
One of these vehicles, stolen from Abuja, was traced to Ilorin, Kwara State, and returned to its rightful owner last weekend.
The statement further revealed that, in addition to the recovered vehicles, the E-CMR portal has exposed 1,610 vehicles with conflicting information, all of which have been referred for further investigation.
Speaking on the success of the E-CMR initiative, the Police emphasized that the system aims to drastically reduce vehicle theft and other related crimes.
The public has responded positively, with more vehicle owners registering their cars on the platform.
The transition from the manual CMR system, which had been in place for decades, to the digital E-CMR is expected to improve vehicle tracking and recovery.
Adejobi said: “Vehicle owners are encouraged to provide their information via the Police portal at https://cmris.npf.gov.ng and report stolen vehicles through https://reportcmr.npf.gov.ng“.
He explained that one stolen car from Abuja was recovered after the buyer applied for a CMR certificate, triggering an alert that flagged the vehicle as stolen.
Subsequent investigations revealed the vehicle had been re-registered twice in an attempt to conceal its stolen status.
He said a member of the vehicle theft syndicate has been arrested and will face charges soon.
Adejobi said: “The Police are collaborating with other agencies to enhance the security of vehicles nationwide and urge vehicle owners to obtain their CMR certificates for easier recovery in the event of theft”.
He said the E-CMR is easy to operate, urging vehicle owners to take advantage of the process to curb the menace of car theft.
He also said the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has directed an immediate investigation to dismantle the syndicate responsible for the hijacking of the vehicles.
