The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has arrested several operators linked to illegal National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment and seized unauthorised registration equipment during an enforcement operation in Abuja.
The arrests were made in Gwagwalada and other locations as the commission intensifies efforts to curb the unauthorised collection and alteration of Nigerians’ personal information.
Brandspur Brand news reports that NIMC disclosed the enforcement action in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, on Monday.
The operation was carried out by the commission’s Inspectorate Compliance and Enforcement Unit (ICEU), which targeted illegal NIN registration activities, unauthorised changes to personal data and extortion.
NIMC said the exercise forms part of its broader effort to address practices that could undermine the credibility and security of the country’s national identity system.
The commission’s crackdown comes amid concerns over the handling of sensitive personal information during identity registration. NIN enrolment involves the collection of details used to establish and verify the identity of individuals, making the protection of such records critical.
Unauthorised registration activities and improper alterations to personal data could expose individuals to identity-related risks and weaken confidence in the national identification database.
The commission said it was working to eliminate illegal enrolment operations and unethical practices threatening the integrity of the National Identity Management System.
The enforcement exercise also resulted in the recovery of registration equipment allegedly being used without authorisation.
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However, NIMC did not disclose the number of people arrested, the quantity of equipment seized or the specific locations covered beyond Gwagwalada and other areas.
Further details on the identities of the suspects and possible charges were also not provided in the statement.
