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 Adedapo Adesanya
Mobility fintech, Moove, has raised $250 million in a Series C round, valuing the company at $2.1 billion, finally attaining a long-pursued unicorn status.
The round was led by Mubadala Investment Company and co-led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund, and Ion Pacific. New backers BlueCrest Capital Management, Sona Asset Management and The Raptor Group also joined, alongside existing investors BlackRock, MUFG, Franklin Templeton, Uber and others.
The funding will help Moove expand its autonomous vehicle business by investing in fleet ownership and its robotics-powered depots, known as “Nests,” where autonomous vehicles are charged, maintained, serviced and managed for continuous operation.
Through its partnership with Waymo, Moove is already a leading third-party autonomous fleet operator, with operations live in Phoenix and Miami, and future operations in London.
The capital will also support the company’s expansion into new global markets. As part of the growth plan, Moove expects to increase its autonomous vehicle workforce by more than 220 per cent by the end of the year, growing from about 150 employees to around 500.
Moove said scaling autonomous mobility requires more than just self-driving vehicles. It also needs investment in fleets, charging infrastructure, maintenance facilities and operational systems. The company is building this supporting infrastructure to make autonomous transport reliable and scalable across cities.
Moove started in Africa in 2020 by financing cars for drivers working on ride-hailing platforms. It later entered the UAE, India, the US and the UK. The company also works with Uber, which joined a $100 million funding round in 2024 that valued Moove at $750 million. The new valuation is 2.8 times that level.
Speaking on the deal, the co-chief executive and Advisory Board Chairman of Moove, Mr Ladi Delano, said, “Every major technology revolution becomes an infrastructure race. The internet required data centres. AI required compute. Autonomy requires fleets, charging, maintenance, data systems and 24/7 operations in every city – and that is what Moove is building. In our view, as autonomy scales, infrastructure ownership and operations will define the category leaders. We are building to be one of them.”
On his part, Mr Ali Eid AlMheiri, Executive Director of Diversified Assets, UAE Investments Platform at Mubadala, said: “As autonomous mobility moves from innovation to scaled deployment, the infrastructure supporting it becomes increasingly important. Moove is building an integrated operating platform that combines fleet ownership, operational capability, and technology to support the next phase of growth in autonomous mobility. This is particularly important for the UAE.”
Adding her input, Ms Betty Lee, Principal at Woven Capital (Toyota’s Growth Fund), said, “Moove has demonstrated an exceptional ability to execute across markets, building a global platform across traditional and autonomous vehicle fleets. The next wave of mobility is an infrastructure problem as much as a software one, and Moove is building the foundational layer to solve it.”
For Mr Michael Joseph, co-CEO & Co-Founder of Ion Pacific Limited, said: “We’ve partnered with the Moove team for more than five years, and their execution has consistently impressed us. As autonomous mobility moves from possibility to reality, Moove is building a critical infrastructure layer for the sector – one that is complex, adaptive and essential to scaling AVs. We’re excited to be part of that journey.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The corporate mobility solution from Bolt, Bolt Business, has expressed its desire to strengthen relationships with existing customers in Nigeria by introducing solutions tailored to industries with frequent employee mobility needs, including healthcare, financial services, legal services and logistics.
This is as the organisation, over the past 12 months, delivered double-digit growth in the country, driven by expanding adoption across multiple industries, growing demand from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and an increasing number of firms seeking cost-efficient alternatives to managing in-house transport fleets.
The Country Manager for Bolt for Business Nigeria, Mr Isaac Iroko, disclosed that the smarter mobility solutions being planned will improve visibility, simplify expense management and support business growth.
“Our focus remains on building products that create value for organisations of every size while delivering a seamless experience for their employees,” he stated.
Bolt Business has continued to experience an increasing demand from businesses seeking smarter, more efficient ways to manage employee transportation and business travel.
It serves organisations across a broad range of industries, including financial services, technology, healthcare, professional services, manufacturing, logistics, media, real estate and fast-growing consumer businesses.
The growth reflects a broader shift in how Nigerian businesses approach corporate mobility. Rather than maintaining expensive vehicle fleets or relying on fragmented transport arrangements, more organisations are adopting digital mobility platforms that offer greater transparency, control and operational efficiency.
“Businesses today are looking beyond transportation; they’re looking for smarter ways to optimise operations and manage costs.
“We’ve seen organisations across different sectors embrace Bolt Business because it gives them a simple, reliable and transparent way to manage employee travel, whether it’s daily commutes, client meetings or business trips.
“This growth demonstrates that corporate mobility is becoming an increasingly important part of business efficiency in Nigeria,” Mr Iroko stated.
Unlike traditional fleet management, Bolt Business enables companies to centralise transportation through a single platform, providing features such as centralised billing, trip reporting, spending controls and real-time visibility into employee travel. These capabilities help businesses improve oversight while reducing the administrative burden associated with corporate transportation.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To boost economic activities in Lagos Island and support residents, the chief executive of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Mr Bashir Are, sponsored the training of eight persons at the LagRide Drivers Academy through the LagRide Partner Programme.
Mr Are funded both the academy training and the vehicle costs, removing the two barriers that most frequently prevent qualified drivers from entering formal, structured employment in the mobility sector.
The beneficiaries were handed over keys to their vehicles at a ceremony in Lagos on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
They now operate a LagRide vehicle under the platform’s Drive To Own programme, which allows a Captain to earn daily income while working towards full ownership of the vehicle at the end of the agreed payment term.
“The initial capital required to be onboarded was never going to come from these young men, so we provided that intervention financially so that they can have good employment.
“Lagos is a megacity. My agency runs the largest gaming and fintech conference on the continent every year, and when those delegates arrive, we do not want them driven around in poor vehicles. This is also employment for our own people, and we have a great deal of unemployment and underemployment in this country.
“These Captains are from Lagos Island Local Government, and they can now take care of their own families. Let me be clear about one thing. This is not a project. It is a programme, and it continues,” Mr Are stated.
Also speaking, the chairman of LagRide, Ms Diana Chen, said, “Today is just a new beginning, and more and more people will come. More local governments will join us, and one day we want to bring the Governor here so that this programme runs across the state.
“LagRide is a platform where a person comes to take a job and ends up owning the vehicle. It is also a platform that any government, or any organisation with a social development or CSR mandate, can use to empower the people they want to support. The people get their own asset at the end of it.”
On her part, the lawmaker representing Lagos Island Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs Omolara Oyekan-Olumegbon, said, “Everyone keeps saying there are not enough jobs for our youths. This is our own way of ensuring that they are empowered.
“When you give a person money, it is money, and it finishes. This is the difference between giving a man a fish and teaching him how to fish. You are giving these young men something they can use to take care of themselves, their families and their homes.
“We must thank the chief executive of the Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority for doing this, and I must also thank Chief Diana Chen. Lagos Island is a commercial hub, and we intend to keep the flag flying. This is the beginning, and we will be coming back to ask for more.”
