The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has disclosed that it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the permission given to expressverify.com for an unauthorised NIN verification.
According to sources, a third-party, originally authorised to provide verification services to citizens and legitimate businesses, may have granted expressverify.com access to its NIN verification credentials for verification purposes.
In response to this incident, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), following established remediation protocols, has suspended all forms of access to its database. While this action was necessary, it impacted legitimate and crucial verification requests. After careful review, limited access has been reinstated for select establishments providing essential public services such as education and security.
Ongoing investigations, conducted by relevant agencies, aim to ascertain how expressverify.com acquired the credentials of legitimate third parties and to determine the liability of those involved according to existing laws. Currently, data processing by licensees will undergo heightened scrutiny, with only those demonstrating credible evidence of regulatory compliance being authorised to conduct NIN verification in the future.
Additionally, a series of comprehensive training sessions will be conducted to ensure that personnel and licensees are fully informed about their responsibilities under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, NIMC’s privacy policy and other relevant regulatory protocols.
In a statement issued by the head of legal enforcement and regulations at the commission, Babatunde Bamigboye, Esq., NDPC urged the public to recognise the significance of NIN as vital data for sustainable development. While existing technical and organisational measures are being reinforced to safeguard this data, citizens are reminded of the importance of not being overlooked in various development frameworks. It is equally crucial to exercise vigilance when sharing personal information on online platforms.
