By Divine Ihechimerem
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has debunked recent reports of the exposure of sensitive data of Nigerian citizens traced to some data-collecting agencies.
A statement by Kayode Adegoke Head, Corporate Communications assured Nigerians that the commission has not compromised on the data of Nigerians neither has it authorised any website or entity to sell or misuse the National identification Number (NIN) amongst all the identities.
Part of the statement read: “The following websites: idfinder.com.ng: Verify. Ng/sigri in, championtech.com.ng.
trustyonline.com, and anyverify.com are data harvesters not authorised by NIMC to access or manage sensitive data. NMC urges the public to disregard any claims or services these websites offer and should not give their data as they are potentially fraudulent and data provided by the public on such websites are gathered and stored to build the data services they illegally provide.
“Consequently, the public should know that the Commission has taken robust measures to safeguard the nation’s database from cyber threats- secure, world-class, full-proof database is in place. The commission’s infrastructure meets the stringent ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System Standard, with annual recertification and strict compliance with the Nigerian Data Protection Law.
“Furthermore, NIMC advises Nigerians to avoid giving their data to unauthorised and phishing sites. This poses the danger of data harvesting and comprises individual data. The Commission reaffirms its commitment to upholding ethical standards in data protection in line with federal government directives and data privacy regulations. Moreover, licensed partners or vendors are not authorised to scan or store NIN slips but to verify NINs through approved channels.
“The Commission is currently working closely with security operatives to apprehend these elements masquerading as online vendors, and they will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“NIMC urges the public to remain vigilant against false information and rely on verified sources for accurate updates. The Commission remains committed to providing secure and reliable identity management and upholding the highest level of security for systems and databases, which are critical national assets.”