Market News

BY   Ayang Macdonald

The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) has revealed that different forms of personal data including the National Identification Number (NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN) and facial photos of some Nigerians, are till easily accessible on websites that have no affiliation with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

FIJ says in a recent report that it found a website dubbed NINPrint.com though which its reporter was able to access the NIN and BVN of some Nigerians, including three journalist, by just using a phone number and a few hundreds of Naira. Four of the NINs and BVNs were purchased for an amount as small as 560 Naira, an amount that is less than half a dollar.

The revelation from FIJ comes over a year after it uncovered the activities of another website XpressVerify which was found to be involved in illicit NIN activities.

The discovery, together with another by digital rights advocacy group, Paradigm Initiative, pushed the NIMC and other relevant bodies to take preventive measures against data peddling on the dark web. At the time, the NIMC also flagged five websites which it said were involved in data harvesting.

FIJ decries the risks of easily accessing such important personal information, noting that it can be used by fraudsters to create bank accounts or access existing ones to steal funds. In some cases, the NIN, together with the BVN, phone numbers and location address of an individual, easily accessible on the web, can be used to build fake fraudulent profiles to commit far-reaching crimes, FIJ fears.

The outlet emphasizes that easy access to such sensitive personal information is at variance with certain provisions of the NIMC Act, 2007, and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, which state that such information can only be accessed either through express personal consent or through a court order.

Concerns about data mishandling have been rife in Nigeria. Last month, the country’s anti-graft agency (EFCC) raised an alarm over the sale of stolen NIN and BVN data used to carry out financial fraud through fintech’s.

In July, the BVN issuance figure reached 66.2 million, according to Nigeria Communications Week, indicating a steady adoption trend in the past four years.