The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has uncovered over 6,000 individuals from Niger Republic who were illegally registered in Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) database.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that this revelation came to light during a recent briefing by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, at the Federal Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
The Minister highlighted ongoing efforts by NIMC to cleanse the database of these illegal entries, part of a broader initiative to ensure the integrity of Nigeria’s identity management system.
According to the Minister, these NINs were fraudulently obtained and have since been expunged from the system as part of rigorous database maintenance.
“This cleanup is essential,” the Minister emphasized, “to prevent unauthorized access to Nigerian identity credentials, especially in border communities where such fraudulent activities are prevalent.”
The issue of foreign nationals obtaining NINs fraudulently gained attention following a recent interception of fake NIMC officials attempting to register non-Nigerian citizens in the Gagamari IDP camp in Niger Republic.
Items recovered from these individuals included NIN registration equipment, highlighting the sophisticated nature of the operation aimed at exploiting Nigeria’s identity verification system.
In response to these challenges, the Nigerian government has directed an inter-ministerial committee to enhance data accuracy within the National Social Register.
“We must ensure that every beneficiary on the Social Register is verifiable through NIN,” remarked Bisoye Coker-Odusote, Director-General of NIMC.
“This measure not only enhances transparency but also safeguards against the inclusion of ghost beneficiaries, thereby optimizing the impact of social intervention programmes.”
Moving forward, the government intends to strengthen border security measures and enhance collaboration among security agencies to curb identity-related fraud.
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