NIMC arrests individuals for allegedly buying NIN amid discoveries of 6,000 illegal NIN holders
- The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has made good on its threat to arrest those buying NIN in Nigeria
- Several individuals have been arrested and interrogated, and will now face the full wrath of the law for the offence
- Meanwhile, the federal government has also discovered thousands of illegal NIN holders in Nigeria
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Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.
After the earlier warning issued against buying or selling of the National Identification Number (NIN), some individuals have been arrested for defaulting.
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) announced that the said individuals were arrested for buying NIN from members of the public.
A statement issued by the commission on Wednesday revealed that the incident took place in Anambra state, with several residents allegedly selling their NIN to the individuals in exchange for cash.
Source: Twitter
The statement signed by the NIMC Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, noted that their actions contravened the NIMC Act No. 23, 2007, the Data Protection Act, and the Cybercrime Act.
They were subsequently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The statement read;
“Upon receiving the information on the activities of the unscrupulous individuals, NIMC, in conjunction with the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), swiftly arrested the culprits behind the illegal collection of the NIN. They are currently being interrogated and would be made to face the full wrath of the law.”
NIMC warns against selling or sharing NIN
The statement seen by the CABLE also warned members of the public against sharing their National Identification Numbers with unauthorised individuals or organisations, with or without any gratification to be obtained.
Adegoke stressed in the statement that such actions are not approved by the NIMC and will attract stiff penalties.
He said;
“The NIN can only be used by the holders to access government or private sector services, and it must be verified.”
Adegoke also urged Nigerians to support the government in fighting fraudulent activities by reporting any such occurrence.
NIMC releases website for modification of NIN Data
The NIMC has also released the official website meant for the modification or update of NIN data.
The commission did this in response to reports about several fake websites allegedly offering the same service.
Source: Getty Images
The online Self-Service Modifications portal allows for quick and easy updates to NIN data details, and individuals were warned against supplying such sensitive details on other unverified websites.
FG uncovers over 6,000 illegal NIN holders
A major data clean-up by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has revealed that over 6,000 foreign nationals from Niger Republic had been unlawfully registered in Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) database.
This discovery was disclosed during a briefing by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
Following the discovery, the individuals' records have been removed, and President Bola Tinubu has mandated an inter-ministerial committee to oversee a transparent National Social Register for social welfare programs.
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Source: Legit.ng
