Enrolment agents working with Nigeria’s national identity programme have been cautioned that falsifying registration records, including presenting foreign nationals as Nigerians, carries the risk of lengthy prison sentences.
The warning was issued by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) during a security briefing for front-end enrolment partners of the National Identity Management Commission held on Thursday in Abuja.
Addressing participants, ICPC Assistant Director Mark Faison said enrolment agents were acting in a position of delegated authority and would be held fully accountable for any breach of trust.
"If you abuse the privilege you have been given, that amounts to abuse of office because you are operating on behalf of NIMC to register Nigerians.
"And if you do otherwise, you are abusing the trust that has been placed in you, and you will be punished for it if you are caught," he said.
Faison stressed that offences linked to fraudulent enrolments attracted stiff penalties under the law.
"Seven years' imprisonment is the punishment for that kind of offence. So I urge you, please, for the sake of the safety of our country, do the little you can do in your own corner," he added.
The anti-corruption agency said it had grown increasingly concerned about reports that some enrolment centres were issuing Nigerian identity records to non-citizens, a practice he described as a threat to national security.
"Some of you do registrations at your end, and you issue identities to persons who are eventually apprehended by immigration officers and discovered to be non-Nigerians," Faison said.
He further disclosed that enrolment activities would continue to be closely monitored.
The briefing, organised by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other security agencies, comes amid an expansion of Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure.
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NIMC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer (DG-CEO), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, said the rapid integration of digital identity across government services, banking, telecommunications, healthcare and social programmes had increased exposure to security risks.
"The need for stronger security controls, regulatory compliance, and system integrity has never been greater," she said.
Coker-Odusote reaffirmed the NIMC's commitment to transparency, accountability and data protection.
She warned that identity management systems worldwide were increasingly targeted by cybercriminals, adding that NIMC would not tolerate unauthorised technologies or system compromises within its ecosystem.
"Any technology platform application, unauthorised integration, or operational process compromise that does not comply with NIMC’s regulatory and security requirements poses a risk not only to the identity ecosystem but also to the trust of millions of Nigerians whose data have been entrusted in our care to protect," she said.
She disclosed that the commission would step up audits and enforcement actions, with security agencies maintaining oversight of enrolment activities nationwide. Records failing to meet required biometric and data standards, she said, would be rejected.
"We will come and make sure that there is no data leakage on your end and that everything is compliant with us," she added.
NIMC’s Head of IT and Identity Data Department, Suleiman Falade described enrolment centres as the first line of defence in safeguarding the national identity database.
"You are therefore not just operators. You are custodians of national identity integrity," he said.
He stressed that identity fraud, duplicate registrations and inaccurate data could undermine public trust and national security.
Also speaking at the event, Kayode Oni, representing the Office of the NSA, urged enrolment partners to carry out their duties responsibly and adhere strictly to approved procedures.
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