The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, has said kidnappers and terrorists often evade detection through Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) system because they frequently use the mobile phones of their victims during operations.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Coker-Odusote explained that the practice makes it difficult for security agencies to trace suspects through their own registered identities, despite the NIN serving as the country’s foundational identity database.
According to her, the challenge is not with the NIN system itself but with the tactics employed by criminals.
“We already know that the NIN is the foundational identity for the security architecture, but you’ll find out that a lot of the time, the kidnappers use the phones of the people they have abducted,” she said.
“So, which means how do you trace them, first of all? Because they’re not using their own phones.”
Coker-Odusote also suggested that some attackers could be foreign nationals who are brought into the country shortly before carrying out attacks, meaning they may not be captured in Nigeria’s identity database.
“And then there’s this theory that may be possible. If some kidnappers are not Nigerians and they are brought in 48 hours or 72 hours before the kidnapping happens just for that purpose, I’m not insinuating anything, then we won’t have them on the database naturally,” she said.
Despite these challenges, the NIMC boss insisted that the NIN remains an important tool for security agencies, noting that several law enforcement bodies have integrated the identity management system into their operations to support crime-fighting efforts.
“But I will tell you that a lot of the security agencies are integrated and they are using it, and it helps them in terms of fighting crime,” she said.
She also encouraged Nigerians yet to obtain their National Identification Number to take advantage of the commission’s expanding enrolment network.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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