The Nigeria Police Force, has restated its commitment to emplacing e-policing strategies such as the Police Rescue Me App, Police VGS emergency App, and also the reactivation of the Central Motor Registry Portal (e-CMR), to curb vehicle-related crimes and enhance its crime-fighting capabilities through the integration of electronic and information communication technology (ICT) aimed at creating an effective policing system for all citizens across Nigeria.

In a statement on Thursday signed by its spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the says efforts of the Force in combating crime in various spheres cannot be overemphasized, specifically in the area of vehicle theft, as the Nigeria Police Force recorded the successful recovery of 1519 vehicles in the last year and so far in this month of January 2025, the Force has recorded the recovery of 52 vehicles, while many stolen vehicles are being investigated for recovery. This success was made easy due to the cooperation of the public using the e-CMR portal.

“As part of the relentless efforts towards combating vehicle-related crimes, the Force wishes to announce a recent successful operation that led to the recovery of stolen vehicles, utilizing the electronic Central Motor Registry (e-CMR) system. The Electronic Central Motor Registry (e-CMR) is a digitalized repository of licenced motor vehicles in the country, as provided for in the law.
Since the initiative began, successes have been, and are still being recorded by the Force. Some of these successes include:
i. Members of the public, especially genuine vehicle owners are providing their vehicle information into the database; with over 400,000 vehicles registered.
ii. Instant reporting of vehicle theft – 1,011 stolen vehicles reported.
iii. In October 2024, three (3) vehicles reported stolen on the platform recovered in different parts of the country. One of the recovered vehicles was handed over to its elated owner right here in the FHQ.
iv. Recently, two stolen vehicles were recovered in Kano State through the E-CMR platform.
v. So far, 1,011 vehicles have been reported stolen on the platform and are under investigation.
vi. 5,877 vehicles with conflicting information are being investigated.

“Today, I am pleased to inform Nigerians that the Force is closing up on recovering seven (7) stolen vehicles reported on the ECMR platform. This is in addition to the several recoveries made by the Force in recent times.

“In the instant case for this press briefing, a Toyota Highlander stolen in 2021 (4 years ago) was recovered by the Police last week in Enugu State and is presently in Police custody in Abuja.

“The vehicle was stolen on 13th January, 2021. Two years later, the rightful owner learnt about the Nigeria Police’s Stolen Vehicle Report Portal https://reportcmr.npf.gov.ng and reported the theft. The vehicle was sold to a buyer in Kano who decided to provide the vehicle details to the Police through the E-CMR portal and obtain a certificate to that effect. In the process, the system flagged it as Stolen based on the earlier report. Investigation led to the recovery of the vehicle in Enugu State. The seller/receiver and buyer will have their date in Court soon. The owner is right here with us and has gladly opted to speak to the Press on his experience.

“To assist Nigerians verify the status of a vehicle, a module that uses USSD functionality is being developed and will be deployed as soon as connectivity with mobile Telecom operators is concluded.

“To provide your vehicle information to the Nigeria Police, visit this website:
https://cmris.npf.gov.ng]

“To provide your stolen vehicle information to the Nigeria Police, visit this website:
https://reportcmr.npf.gov.ng

“The IGP has reiterated that the Nigeria Police Force will continue to invest in and adopt modern technological solutions to combat crime effectively. As we move forward, our focus remains on using every available tool to ensure the safety of our citizens and protect their properties. The Force encourages citizens to take advantage of these technological advancements and report any suspicious activities to aid in our collective fight against crime.”