The Nigerian government has discovered that 6,000 citizens of the Niger Republic illegally obtained the country’s National Identity Number (NIN).
A source within the presidency confirmed that the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this finding while briefing the Federal Executive Council on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
According to the minister, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has taken action by removing these illegally acquired NINs from its database.
“The interior minister said NIMC is tidying up the database because they found over 6,000 people from the Niger Republic who obtained NIN. But they have been wiped from the database,” the source revealed.
The minister was also added to a special panel responsible for overseeing the country’s humanitarian ministry, which manages conditional cash transfers and other welfare programs.
The Director-General of NIMC, Bisoye Coker-Odusote, confirmed the development. She assured that the agency was committed to ensuring transparency and accuracy in government payments, particularly for humanitarian assistance.
This revelation has raised further concerns about fraudulent identity registrations in Nigeria.
The issue of fake and illegal NINs is not new. On October 13, 2022, the Defence Headquarters in Abuja reported that security forces, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Immigration Service, arrested two suspected fake NIMC officials.
According to Major General Musa Danmadami, the then-Director of Defence Media Operations, the suspects had allegedly traveled to the Gagamari IDP camp in the Niger Republic to register non-Nigerians.
There have also been reports of fake agents charging non-Nigerian citizens, particularly from neighboring countries like the Niger Republic, to obtain NINs fraudulently.
As Nigeria tightens its identity registration system, authorities are expected to take stronger measures to prevent further abuses.
