The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote has explained why kidnappers and terrorists can still evade detection despite the National Identification Number, NIN, being part of Nigeria’s security system.
Coker-Odusote said criminal groups often make tracking difficult by using their victims’ phones and SIM cards instead of ones registered in their own names.
She shared these insights during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
The NIMC boss said the NIN remains the backbone of Nigeria’s identity and security systems, but criminals have found ways to hide their identities.
“We already know the NIN is the foundational identity for the security architecture, but a lot of the time, you find out the kidnappers use the phones of the people they have abducted,” she said.
“Which means, how do you trace them because they are not using their own phones?”
She explained that when kidnappers use their victims’ devices and SIM cards, it becomes hard for investigators to quickly find out who is responsible for the abductions.
Coker-Odusote also suggested that some kidnappers might be brought into Nigeria just before an attack, so they would not appear in the country’s identity database.
“There is a theory that it may be possible that these kidnappers are not Nigerians and are brought into the country 48 or 72 hours before a kidnapping takes place, specifically for that purpose,” she said.
“I’m not insinuating anything, but if that were the case, they naturally would not be captured in our database. Those are some of the scenarios we have.”
She added that this is only one reason why some suspects remain difficult to locate.
The NIMC Director-General said the NIN still plays an important role in verifying identities and assisting with criminal investigations, even though some offenders try to evade detection.
The NIN is a unique 11-digit number issued by the commission to Nigerians and legal residents, as set out in the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2007. It acts as the country’s main digital ID and is used to confirm people’s identities for both public and private services.
The Federal Government now requires everyone to link their SIM cards to their NIN. This is meant to improve identity management, assist security investigations, and reduce crimes committed through phone networks.
Besides security reasons, the NIN is required to apply for a passport, open a bank account, get a driver’s licence, and use many government services and programs.
