NIN fraudsters risk seven-year jail, ICPC warns

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has warned front-end enrolment partners of the National Identity Management Commission that any involvement in fraudulent National Identification Number registrations, including the enrolment of non-Nigerians as Nigerians, could attract a seven-year prison term upon conviction.

The warning was issued on Thursday in Abuja during a security briefing organised by NIMC for its front-end enrolment partners in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies.

Speaking at the event, an Assistant Director at the ICPC, Mark Faison, said enrolment agents must strictly comply with the terms of their engagement, warning that any violation amounted to corruption.

“If you abuse the privilege you have been given, that amounts to abuse of office because you are operating on behalf of NIMC to register Nigerians.

And if you do otherwise, you are abusing the trust that has been placed in you, and you will be punished for it if you are caught,” he said.

Faison added, “Seven years’ imprisonment is the punishment for that kind of offence. So I urge you, please, for the sake of the safety of our country, do the little you can do in your own corner.”

The anti-corruption official specifically raised concerns over the alleged registration of foreigners as Nigerians by some enrolment agents, warning that such actions pose serious national security risks.

According to him, security agencies had encountered cases where individuals registered through some enrolment centres were later apprehended by immigration authorities and discovered not to be Nigerians.

“Some of you do registrations at your end, and you issue identities to persons who are eventually apprehended by immigration officers and discovered to be non-Nigerians,” he said, noting that the commission would continue to monitor the activities of enrolment partners to ensure the registration process remains free of corruption.

In her remarks, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the briefing became necessary as Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem continued to expand across government services, financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, education and social intervention programmes.

She said the growing use of digital identity infrastructure had increased the need for stronger security controls, regulatory compliance and system integrity.

“The need for stronger security controls, regulatory compliance, and system integrity has never been greater,” she said, adding that the commission remained committed to maintaining the highest standards of security, transparency and accountability in managing the country’s identity infrastructure.

Coker-Odusote noted that identity systems around the world were increasingly becoming targets of cyber threats, phishing attacks, unauthorised access attempts and other forms of security compromise.

She warned that only software approved and certified by NIMC would be permitted within the commission’s ecosystem.

“Any technology platform application, unauthorised integration, or operational process compromise that does not comply with NIMC’s regulatory and security requirements poses a risk not only to the identity ecosystem but also to the trust of millions of Nigerians whose data have been entrusted in our care to protect,” she stated.

The NIMC boss further disclosed that the commission would intensify enforcement measures and periodically audit enrolment partners to ensure compliance with data protection and cybersecurity standards.

She warned that security agencies were closely monitoring activities within the ecosystem and cautioned operators against practices capable of compromising the integrity of the national identity database.

Coker-Odusote also stressed the importance of maintaining clean biometric records and accurate data collection, warning that enrolments that failed to meet established standards would be rejected by the system.

She added that new compliance measures were being introduced, including periodic audits of partners’ systems to prevent data leakages and other security breaches. “We will come and make sure that there is no data leakage on your end and that everything is compliant with us,” she said.

Earlier, the Head of IT and Identity Data Department at NIMC, Suleiman Falade, described data quality as the foundation of a credible national identity system, noting that every record in the national identity database begins at the enrolment centre. “You are therefore not just operators. You are custodians of national identity integrity,” he said.

Falade warned that duplicate enrolments, identity fraud and inaccurate records could undermine national security efforts and erode public confidence in the identity ecosystem.

He added that while compliant partners would be recognised, violations would attract sanctions as the commission continued to strengthen monitoring and enforcement across enrolment centres nationwide.

Also speaking, a representative of the Office of the National Security Adviser, Kayode Oni, urged the enrolment partners to carry out their responsibilities diligently and ensure strict compliance with established procedures in order to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s identity management system.

The PUNCH earlier reported that NIMC warned Nigerians against selling or disclosing their National Identification Number to unauthorised persons, stating that such actions expose individuals to identity fraud and other serious security risks.