The National Identity Management Commission–NIMC has cautioned Nigerians against disclosing their National Identification Numbers to unauthorised individuals or organisations in exchange for monetary compensation.
The warning followed reports that some residents in Anambra State were being lured to submit their NINs for money, a practice the commission described as illegal and punishable under the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007, the Data Protection Act, and the Cybercrime Act.
In a statement issued by the Head of Corporate Communications of the commission, Dr Kayode Adegoke, the NIMC said the illegal activity had been brought to its attention and that arrests had already been made in collaboration with security agencies.
The commission emphasised that neither it nor the federal government had authorised the collection or use of NINs by third parties for financial incentives, adding that any individual or group found engaging in such activities would be sanctioned accordingly.