The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, has explained why terrorists and kidnappers are not always traceable through the National Identification Number system despite its role in Nigeria’s security architecture.
Speaking during an interview on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, Coker-Odusote said kidnappers often avoid detection by using the mobile phones of their victims instead of their own registered lines.
She said, “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?”
“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 maintained that while the NIN remains central to Nigeria’s identity and security framework, criminals often adopt tactics that make tracking them more difficult, including using devices and SIM cards belonging to their victims. Related News Tinubu pushing state police for security, not 2027 election – Orji Kalu YCE hails rescue of Oyo pupils, teachers, urges security beef-up Oyo rescue: Church group urges enhanced security in schools, communities
