NEWS UPDATE: NIMC EXPLAINS WHY NIN CANNOT ALWAYS TRACK KIDNAPPERS, TERRORISTS

NIMC EXPLAINS WHY NIN CANNOT ALWAYS TRACK KIDNAPPERS, TERRORISTS

The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, has explained why Nigeria's National Identification Number (NIN) system does not always enable security agencies to trace kidnappers and terrorists despite being a key component of the country's security architecture.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television's Sunday Politics, Coker-Odusote said many kidnappers evade detection by using the mobile phones and SIM cards of their victims rather than their own registered lines.

According to her, the NIN serves as the foundational identity system for Nigeria's security framework, but criminals often employ tactics that make digital tracking difficult.

"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, which means how do you trace them because they are not using their own phones?" she said.

Coker-Odusote also noted that there are theories suggesting that some kidnappers may be brought into Nigeria shortly before carrying out attacks, meaning they may not be captured 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. 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 stated.

She stressed that while the NIN remains central to Nigeria's digital identity and security framework, it is not a surveillance tool, and criminals' methods can limit its effectiveness in investigations.

The National Identification Number is an 11-digit unique identity number issued by NIMC to Nigerians and legal residents under the National Identity Management Commission Act, 2007. It serves as the country's primary digital identity and is used to verify individuals across government and private sector services.

The Federal Government has strengthened the use of the NIN by making it mandatory for SIM card registration and linkage, a policy introduced to enhance identity verification, support criminal investigations and improve national security.

Beyond telecommunications, the NIN is also required for services including passport applications, opening bank accounts, obtaining driver's licences and accessing several government programmes.

Coker-Odusote reiterated that effective tracking of criminal suspects requires close collaboration among security agencies, telecommunications operators and other relevant institutions, maintaining that the NIN is designed primarily for identity management rather than real-time surveillance.