The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has revealed the discovery of a syndicate involved in issuing fake national identity numbers (NIN) to unsuspecting Nigerians.
NIMC Director General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, noting that some suspects had been apprehended and were undergoing prosecution with relevant security agencies.
The revelation came to light after a customer reported paying N120,000 to modify her birth certificate, prompting NIMC to investigate further.
Coker-Odusote also announced a significant increase in NIN enrollment, with over 107.34 million Nigerians registered in the database as of May 2024, compared to 104 million in December 2023.
Detailing the modus operandi of the syndicate, the director-general explained that individuals posed as business vendors and cyber cafe operators, creating links for unsuspecting individuals, developing software, and fabricating fake NINs.
These activities did not register on NIMC’s server, leading to numerous Nigerians falling victim to scams.
Further crackdowns led to the discovery of a group operating around NIMC’s annex office. While the exact number of persons being interrogated was not disclosed, Coker-Odusote assured that once investigations concluded, they would be prosecuted for cybercrimes.
Efforts are underway to harmonize identity databases across government ministries, departments, and agencies with NIMC’s database to establish a central identity repository for the country.
