NBA-SPIDEL Urges IGP To Halt CMRIS Certificate Demands, Threatens Legal Action

The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) has directed a stern request to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, urging him to issue an immediate order to cease the nationwide issuance and demand for Central Motor Registry Information System (CMRIS) certificates.

In a letter titled “Re: Issuance of Central Motor Registry Information System (CMRIS) Certificate by the Nigeria Police Force: A Demand for Immediate Stoppage of Same,” signed by NBA-SPIDEL Chairman John Aikpokpo-Martins and Secretary to the IGP Funmi Adeogun, the group demands the closure of the registration website and all physical registration centers. Additionally, they call for the prompt refund of all funds collected from Nigerians within three days of receiving the notice.

The lawyers’ group asserts that the police’s action is illegal and warns of seeking appropriate sanctions in court against the IGP and the police if the demands are not met within seven days of receiving the letter.

The letter questions the legal basis for the Nigeria Police to issue CMRIS certificates to vehicle owners, especially when no law, to their knowledge, explicitly grants the police the authority to issue such certificates after the proper registration of vehicles.

NBA-SPIDEL categorically states that any certificate issued by the police without legal backing is illegal, null, and void, having no consequence. They emphasize that the police’s role in protecting citizens and enforcing the law does not extend to collecting money or issuing certificates to vehicle owners.

The letter highlights reports of police extorting money from vehicle owners during road searches for not possessing the CMRIS certificate, labeling this practice as illegal and demanding its immediate cessation.

NBA-SPIDEL concludes by unequivocally demanding that the Nigeria Police stop issuing and demanding CMRIS certificates, emphasizing that these acts of illegality must not persist unchecked.