NIN fraudsters risk seven-year jail, ICPC warns

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has issued a stern warning to front-end enrolment partners of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). These partners face up to seven years in prison if convicted of fraudulent National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, particularly the enrollment of non-Nigerians as citizens. The warning came during a security briefing in Abuja, organized by NIMC in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies.

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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.

Mark Faison, an Assistant Director at the ICPC, stressed that any violation of the terms of engagement constitutes corruption and abuse of office. "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," Faison stated. He highlighted that registering foreigners as Nigerians poses significant national security risks, as security agencies have encountered cases where individuals registered through these centers were later found not to be citizens.

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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.

NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote underscored the critical importance of the briefing. She explained that as Nigeria's digital identity ecosystem expands to encompass government services, financial institutions, telecommunications, healthcare, education, and social programs, the need for robust security controls, regulatory compliance, and system integrity has become paramount. The commission remains committed to upholding the highest standards of security, transparency, and accountability in managing the nation's identity infrastructure.

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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.