Auto
Motor Dealers, Police Launch PoliceBCMR Device to Tackle Auto Theft
By Dipo Olowookere
There is no doubt that cases of vehicle theft cannot be totally eradicate, however, it can only be reduced.
The issue of theft has given many, including security operatives sleepless nights, but the latest information reaching us suggests that would soon become a thing of the past.
Last Thursday, the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON) signed an agreement with the Nigeria Police Force for the use of the PoliceBCMR, a technological means of attaching an automobile owner’s bio-data on a smart card.
At the official signing of the agreement with their consultant, Media Concepts International Limited, in Lagos, the association’s President, Mr Ajibola Adedoyin, said the initiative would help check the incidence of vehicle thefts across the country.
“What has been happening before now, two of our members in the area of buying cars or receiving cars without knowing they were stolen…. and before you know it, our members were either chased out of the business or run out of town,” Mr Adedoyin said.
“That’s why we came up with this concept and decide to partner with the Nigeria Police so as to see how we can put a stop to it. And this will even reduce the amount of money and resources wasted on trying to get stolen vehicles.
“With this concept, I can tell you if we follow it well, it will be a thing of the past. At times a vehicle will be brought to you with original documents but it is stolen and if you decide to buy it and sell, you will be in trouble,” he added.
It was learnt that the PoliceBCMR also provides a platform for the centralization of vehicle documents, in order to create and authenticate the much-needed database for police operational use in crime management nationwide.
An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Ayotunde Omodeinde, said the initiative was among the projects the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, approved to combat car thefts in the country as well as protect innocent car dealers.
“Because often times, stolen vehicles find their way to car dealers and these dealers end up selling stolen vehicles without their knowledge often times,” said Mr Omodeinde, who is in charge of the Police ICT Department.
“And the police, in the course of our investigation, when we trace those stolen vehicles to the car dealer, the car dealer who has already paid for the vehicle ends up losing his money because police will recover the vehicle and the car dealer will also suffer a lot of inconveniences.
“So, the police, working with AMDON, will ensure that when vehicles are brought to them, they will be able to cross-check whether those vehicles are stolen or not before they receive it or buy it.
“And whenever a stolen vehicle comes to AMDON car port, the AMDON member has a duty to inform the police discreetly so that the police will be able to recover the vehicle. This is a very wonderful initiative by the Inspector General of Police, to ensure the integration of the AMDON system with the Police BCMR, to enable us track stolen vehicles and to make it easy for members of the public to buy a vehicle without trouble,” concluded ACP Omodeinde.
In his remarks, Dr Babatope Agbeyo, the chairman of Cornfield Group, the parent company of Media Concepts International, described the initiative as a giant step to safeguard lives and properties of individuals.
“People steal because they can use the loot or they can sell it, but if there is a system whereby, it’s difficult for you to steal or enjoy what you have stolen I think you won’t do that. The Police know that the job, security has gone beyond guns and cudgels, it’s now high tech, they are now embracing technology which is making it better,” opined Mr Agbeyo.
According to Mr Omodeinde, the PoliceBCMR would also provide police officers with handheld devices with which to check the smart cards; he, however, added that the process “is still ongoing. “Computer is garbage in garbage out, if you have not registered your vehicle into the PoliceBCMR portal, there’s no way you’ll be able to check and see information about your vehicle,” Mr. Omodeinde said.
“So the first thing you need to do, it’s free, is just go online and register your vehicle, put the details of your vehicle particulars into the portal. Now, if you desire to have the PoliceBCMR smart card, you’ll now go to a PoliceBCMR capture centre and make a request for the smart card.
“With the PoliceBCMR smart card, you will no longer need … because police will be given a handheld to check… it’s ongoing, it’s what we are working on, part of why we are here.
“So police will just stop you, if you have your smart card, because it’s voluntary, you show the policeman, he’ll just input your information and he’ll see the status of your vehicle, your vehicle particulars, so you don’t need to print road worthiness etc, the card will cover all your documents. But if you still want to be carrying all your documents around, it’s left for you.”
Mr Adedoyin said “vehicle dealers across the country have, for a long time, been at the receiving end whenever a case of car theft was recorded.
“Because you can imagine, an armed robber stole a car and it ended with a car dealer,” he said.
“Meanwhile, the car dealer paid the armed robber for that car and he sells it to another person. When the police find out that that car is stolen, the car dealer will be made to pay back the money to the buyer, but they will not tell the armed robber to pay back the car dealer. I think this concept is a win-win situation, both for the buyer, the seller and the Nigerian Police Force, and that is why we feel this concept is what will bring to an end of what we call stolen vehicle in Nigeria, that is if we are all sincere to work together on this.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The 2025 edition of the Art of Technology (AOT) Lagos is going to be bigger and better with the inclusion of inDrive as its official sponsor.
The AOT Lagos 7.0, themed Future Technologies and a Sustainable Lagos, is scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 2025, at the Landmark Centre, Lagos.
inDrive, a leading global ride-hailing platform operating in nine African countries, is partnering with the Lagos State government to bring together policymakers, innovators, tech founders, investors, and global industry leaders to shape the future of technology and digital transformation in Lagos.
Through this collaboration, inDrive aims to contribute to high-level conversations on driver empowerment, sustainable transport models, safety, and affordability, key challenges affecting millions of daily commuters and mobility service providers in the state.
According to the Country Representative of inDrive Nigeria, Mr Timothy Oladimeji, the sponsorship underscores the company’s deep commitment to advancing equitable mobility systems and supporting conversations that drive long-term impact across the transportation ecosystem.
He noted that inDrive sees AOT Lagos as a critical platform for addressing mobility challenges and accelerating innovation within the state.
During the event, inDrive will be participating in one of the key sessions, discussing the topic From fuel to future: the rise of e-mobility in Lagos.
Aside from this, inDrive will also be hosting a side workshop themed The Market Share Victory – How inDrive Became Nigeria’s Second-Largest Ride-Hailing Player.
“We are proud to sponsor AOT Lagos 7.0 because it aligns perfectly with our vision to democratise mobility and ensure fairness for both drivers and riders.
“As Lagos moves toward a smarter, more sustainable mobility future, inDrive is committed to supporting solutions that prioritise affordability, safety, driver empowerment, and technological readiness.
“Through this partnership, we hope to contribute meaningfully to shaping policies and ideas that will redefine how millions of people move across the state,” he said.
Now in its seventh edition, AOT Lagos has evolved into a premier platform for advancing smart-city innovation, showcasing emerging technologies, and influencing the policy frameworks that shape the digital economy in Africa’s largest city.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government is set to open Section 1 of the 700 km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway for public use from December 12 to 17, 2025.
The Minister of Works, Mr Dave Umahi, gave the assurance on Sunday in Lagos during a review of outstanding works on Section 1 of the highway project.
The section 1 is 47.47km long and has six lanes and two carriageways.
Mr Umahi said: “We also set aside April next year to have Section 1 and half of Section 2 fully completed and commissioned,” adding that the contractor handling the project, Hitech Construction Company Limited, had achieved more than 80 per cent of the reinforced concrete pavement.
“We are very grateful to God Almighty for his mercies, and to the President and to the contractor.
“If we are to pay for everything they have done, it will be very difficult to have this job done because there are places we didn’t envisage that we were going to be removing pits up to a depth of 20 metres.
“They had to do that because they are partners in progress for the development of the country.
“We have just about three kilometres to complete the entire sand filling from Ahmadu Bello Way to Eleko Junction, and we are excited at the work and the quality of what has been done,” the former Governor of Ebonyi State, said.
The new Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olufemi Dare, told the minister that a lot of settling was ongoing at Chainage 33 of the highway project, praising the contractor for high quality of work.
“Sir, it may interest you to know that the building standing is the palace of this community, and you saved this building, and they are extremely happy,” he said.
On his part, the Managing Director of Hitech Construction Company Limited, Mr Dany Abboud, said that the company would still backfill from Chainage 34 to Chainage 37.
“Dredging is ongoing, we are on track to deliver.
“We are monitoring the settlement in the swampy areas and the water body areas due to the change of alignment,” he said.
The highway, which commenced construction in March 2024, has generated a lot of controversy, with critics raising concern around cost and procurement structure.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A Nigerian lender has been accused of frustrating local business owners by not financing Made-in-Nigeria vehicles but promoting the purchase of foreign vehicles.
This allegation was made by the owner of a local vehicle assembly firm, Nord Motion, Mr Oluwatobi Ajayi, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He described this as an economic sabotage, stressing that this action does not encourage local investors.
“A business owner in the oil and gas sector approached us that he would like to buy two units of the @nordmotion Max pickup for his company. Apparently, he was impressed with the vehicle after some rides with his peers in the sector.
“To my shock, yesterday, my team told me that the bank, a bank operating in Nigeria told him that they do not finance Made-in-Nigeria vehicles, and they even suggested to our customer that he should go for foreign brands instead.
“The most provocative part of this is that all of the brands they suggested to him identified as Made-in-Nigeria brands in their filings with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which means they decide who they want to be whenever it suits them.
“This is yet another example of the needless sabotage and institutional bias against Nigerian manufacturers and assemblers that we experience in this sector.
“The President aims to grow us into a $1 trillion economy. Nigerians want to buy Made-in-Nigeria products, we are working very hard to produce world-class vehicles, but some banks, who should play the role of credit facilitators, are displaying open prejudice against locally made vehicles.
“What sort of economic sabotage is this?
“Many of us who continue to assemble and manufacture vehicles here do so not just for profit, but out of patriotism and belief in the long game. We see this as a marathon, not a sprint.
“We cannot continue using Nigerian resources to strengthen foreign factories while starving our own indigenous companies of opportunities.
“If we truly want this country to be better, then we must support goods and services made in Nigeria, especially those of us who have shown we can deliver world-class standards. The support has to be real, not just in words, but in policy, in finance, and in action.
“Every time we deny support for local production, we export jobs, skills, and economic growth that should belong here,” he narrated.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy2 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn