Ogun State Launches Biometric ID System for Commercial Motorcycle Riders to Combat Crime

The Ministry of Transportation and local security agencies have created a cloud-based digital ID system that will connect with Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) database. Registered riders will receive unique identification numbers and undergo biometric verification.

Commercial Motorcycle Rider Identification Scheme (COMORIS) consultant Adebanjo Juwon explains that rider data will be stored in the cloud and verified through biometric checks. The system includes visual identification, with riders wearing reflective jackets featuring color-coded designs and three-digit identification numbers.

Kayode Showunmi, representing the chairmen of affiliated motorcycle riders’ associations, said the initiative resulted from a stakeholders’ meeting in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, addressing public concerns about kidnappings and parcel theft involving riders.

Alhaji Olufodun Moibi, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Transportation, clarified that the scheme is a union riders’ registration required by security agencies, not a government-issued permit, while AIG Olushola Subair (rtd.), Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, emphasized that only state-recognized rider associations – ACOMORAN, ROMO, and AMORAN – may participate in registration.

The biometric system advances Nigeria’s national digital identification infrastructure, which includes similar programs across various economic sectors.