A viral video circulating on TikTok has exposed officers of the Nigerian Police Force extorting travellers along the Benin Bypass in Edo State over the Electronic Central Motor Registry (e-CMR) certificate, despite its suspension by the Inspector-General of Police in July 2024.
The footage, which gained widespread attention on Sunday, shows a troubling encounter between a police officer and a commercial driver, along with his passengers.
“Where is your ECMR?” the officer asked.
“ECMR is illegal,” the driver replied.
The officer then demanded: “If you don’t have it, you will pay money or you buy five litres of fuel.”
When the driver inquired, “How much is five litres of fuel?” the officer responded, “That is N5,000.”
The driver, clearly shocked, asked, “That means you want N5,000 from each person? What about the other person?”
“Let him bring N3,000,” the officer replied casually.
In the video, some passengers pay the demanded amounts, while others plead leniency. One visibly distressed passenger said, “If I had the money, I would have paid the money right away.”
The TikTok user who posted the video captioned it: “Travelers who do not have ECMR which the IGP has suspended were asked to pay sum of 5,000 or buy 5 Litres of fuel by this police officer along Benin bypass way.”
The incident underscores growing concerns over law enforcement abuse despite clear directives from the top hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force.
In July 2024, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced a suspension of the enforcement of the e-CMR after public outcry and legal threats from civil society organisations and the Nigerian Bar Association.
“Furthermore, contrary to news making the round and insinuations about the e-CMR, the NPF wishes to state categorically that the e-CMR is not a revenue generating platform but an initiative to digitalise policing for effectiveness and general safety of lives and property of Nigeria residents,” police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi had said at the time.
He continued: “The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has ordered an immediate suspension of the proposed enforcement of the e-CMR initially scheduled to commence on the 29th of July, 2024. This is to give ample opportunity for mass enlightenment and education of all citizens and residents on the process, benefits and effectiveness in solving the challenge of vehicle related crimes, and protection of individual and corporate vehicle ownership.”
