Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar

The Nigeria Police Force  will from September  16, change the process of vehicle registration from the analogue Central Motor Registry to a digital Biometric Central Motor Registration   system.

The BCMR is a technological means of attaching automobile owner’s personal data to his  vehicle for proper identification and protection.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba,  explained at a news conference on Monday in Abuja, that the new system was part of efforts in repositioning the police to effectively tackle crimes and terror.

Under the system, hand-held machine would be used to verify the particulars of vehicles, rather than manual checking.

“To effectively combat terrorism, prevent crimes, apprehend and prosecute offenders, the force will from September  16, change the registration process of vehicles from the old analogue CMR to new digital BCMR system,” Mba said.

He added that “the decision informing the introduction of the BCMR is against the backdrop of contemporary security challenges bordering on terrorism, high incidence of car theft, kidnapping and other crimes.’’

Mba said that the system was designed for forensic analysis where fingerprints could be matched or verified against registered fingerprints collected during the registration.

He stressed that the database would be made available to other sister security agencies.

“We are going to make the database open to our sister agencies. If for example other security organisations want to carry investigation and they needed to get information from our database, we will make the information available to them,’’  the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the FPRO  as saying.

According to him,   the new system is capable of capturing 20 million fingerprints per second, an equivalent of two million people at 10 prints per person.

“As a store of information, it will provide a one-stop forensic base for all manner of investigations which will greatly enhance policing in tracking missing cars and preventing crimes,’’ he said.

He added that the BCMR could grab still images from Close Circuit Television being installed in cities in the country and the footages could be used to apprehend suspected criminals, thereby enhancing personal and national safety and security.

Mba said that registration under the BCMR could be done at designated banks, online and police commands across the nation.

He said that motorists were expected to pay N3,500 to register their vehicles under the system, while owners of tricycles  and motorcycles  would pay N1,500  for the registration.

Responding to questions, the spokesman said that the BCMR was not a duplication of the registration being done by the FRSC but complementing the commission.

According to him, substantial equipment had been procured for the system as personnel have been adequately trained to man it.

On the deadline for the registration, Mba said that no time frame would be given for now.

“We will  not give a deadline for compliance,” he stated , adding that   the police had begun aggressive sensitisation on the need for motorists to migrate from the analogue CMR to the BCMR.

 “First of all, we want to encourage new car owners to register their vehicles under the new BCMR, instead of the CMR. We are also encouraging old car owners to migrate to BCMR not just for national security but for the safety of their vehicles,’’ Mba advised.

When contacted, the FRSC spokesman,  Jonas Agwu, said  he just heard of the police decision  for the first time.

The FRSC had  last year introduced a new number plate, which it said was attached to individual vehicles and their owners.

According to the Corps Marshal, Mr. Osita Chidoka, the introduction of the new number plate was also to enhance a comprehensive database for all vehicles in the country.

By implication, it was meant to guide against car theft and other criminal activities that could be perpetrated using vehicles.

The Corps had given end of September as deadline for the procurement of new vehicle  number plates.
- The Punch

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Diezani Allison-Madueke, Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum.

The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 27 percent of oil supply to Europe.
The Nigeria government on Wednesday lamented the rising insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea as a result of the activities of kidnappers, pirates and crude oil thieves.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was speaking at the First Nigerian Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel Africa Conference (OPV) in Lagos, said the development has resulted in many cases of hijacking, unauthorized vessel boarding and kidnapping in the region.
The Gulf of Guinea, which consists of 15 countries with oil production in excess of 5.4 million barrels per day in 2012, accounts for an equivalent of about 27 per cent of oil supply to the European Union and 29 per cent of total petroleum consumption in the United States in 2011.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who described the situation as unacceptable, said crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in the Gulf has become a major source of concern to the Federal Government, with U.S. Naval Intelligence Report indicating about nine hijacking incidents, 55 unauthorized vessel boarding, several kidnappings and vessels fired upon in the first half of this year.
The Minister, who was represented at the occasion by the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Andrew Yakubu, underlined the significance of maritime security to the region, saying that it was necessary to maintain the flow of revenue from oil and gas.
She said that the current high insecurity had negatively impacted the region’s broader economic development, adding that maritime resources such as fish, aquaculture and the ecosystem which directly contribute to the livelihood of many Africans had been affected.
With Nigeria and Angola accounting for 47 and 34 per cent of the total oil supply production in the Gulf respectively, the Minister said it was extremely important that countries in the region and their allies collaborate to police the sea lanes, noting that disruptions in crude oil supplies not only affected countries such as Nigeria but ultimately negatively impacted the global economy.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke called for increased domestic efforts in addressing the menace, pointing out that addressing illegal crude oil bunkering was a multi-dimensional challenge that required a multilateral approach to succeed.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke noted that resurrecting the Gulf’s security protocol as well as collaboration between Nigeria and other countries in the region would go a long way to help address the maritime security issues.
The conference, which had as its theme: Delivering Maritime Security to Africa, was attended by Navy formations from countries in the Gulf with presentations from local and international resource persons.
- Premiumtimes

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