Data Breach Leaks: Communication Minister Meets With Interior Minister As Nigerian Data Breach Leaks His ID Information Allegedly Sold for N100

By:Abdulwasiu Akintunde 

The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani has announced that he has initiated discussions with the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who oversees the nation's ID agency, following a report of a data breach in which Tijani's identity information was allegedly sold for ₦100. 

OPEN TELEVISION Naija reports that Tijani did not provide specifics about the conversations between the two ministers but onoy revealed this development when addressing the findings of a Paradigm Initiative investigation. 

OPEN TELEVISION Naija gathered that the investigation uncovered alleged data breaches involves the nation's identity information on the website, AnyVerify.com.ng, which is accused of trading Nigerians' identity data.

Tijani stated that he promptly took action by engaging with the Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo, who oversees the NIMC, confirmed, "I am aware that his ministry and the agency are addressing the issue." Additionally, Tijani mentioned, 

"The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), a year-old agency under my supervision, has recently established data compliance mechanisms for all MDAs and has initiated a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this alleged breach."

The Interior Ministry, led by Tunji-Ojo, oversees the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the nation's ID agency and regulator, headed by its CEO/DG, Engr. Bisoye Coker Odusote. 

Tijani, on his part, outlined the measures his ministry is implementing to address and mitigate data breaches, aiming to enhance the security of its systems.

OPEN TELEVISION Naija speaks in response to the alleged purchase of Nigerians' NIN slips for ₦100, as reported by the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Gbenga Sesan, the Minister highlighted the "proactive steps" being taken to prevent unauthorized access. 

According to him, the proactive steps include:

1. Presentation to kick off an alignment with all permanent secretaries highlighting the importance of a structured Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach and the need for Data Exchange across MDAs to strengthen Nigeria's cybersecurity oversight for critical DPI

2. A 2-day workshop with Directors of ICT across all MDAs to enlighten and initiate a plan to strengthen DPI in Nigeria

3. Launched the Devs in Government - a community of practice for all civil servants responsible for technology within the government which serves as a platform for enlightening and securing buy-in across the ICT cadre.

4. Launched the Responsible Data Management Course for Civil Servants (a partnership between the NDPC & Datadotorg) to improve on data handling and protection across government institutions.

5. Workshop with the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure, to assess the status quo and agree on an implementation roadmap for DPI in Nigeria

6. Conducted deep dives and knowledge exchange workshops on DPI and data exchange with Finland & Estonia as part of the design process for our Data Exchange System.

OPEN TELEVISION Naija further reports that Sesan revealed his organisation was able to purchase Dr. Tijani's NIN slip for a mere #100, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in the security of personal data. This revelation has sparked widespread concern among Nigerians, as it poses significant risks to both individuals and the national economy.

The CIvil Society Organisation (CSO) announces that the website, AnyVerify.com.ng have been operating in the Nigerian digital space since November 2023, allegedly trades in sensitive personal and financial data of Nigerian citizens "for as little as #100," 

OPEN TELEVISION Naija further gathered that CEO/DG, National Identity Management Commission (NICM), Engr Bisoye Coker Odusote, says the ID agency did not authorise any individual to sell ID information of Nigerians.

"This alarming development represents a significant breach of fundamental privacy rights, data privacy rights, and poses serious risks to individuals and the national economy."

Paradigm Initiative stated in a report shared that the "several unauthorized websites claim to hold and provide access to sensitive personal and financial data of Nigerian citizens for as little as ₦100." 

However, paradigm Initiative also uncovered a major data breach involving the website AnyVerify.com.ng, which has allegedly been trading sensitive personal and financial data of Nigerian citizens "for as little as ₦100" since November 2023, according to the Civil Society Organization (CSO).

"Due to the severe implication for millions of Nigeria we have through our legal partners, Vindich Legal, served pre-action notice the following Government Agencies: National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF)." Said, Paradigm Initiative. 

Furthermore, paradigm Initiative discovered from it's findings that the "AnyVerify.com.ng is a website involved in the commercial distribution of personal and private data of Nigerians. On its webpage, a drop-down displaying the myriads of data services which the website renders can be observed. These include personal data such as the National Identity Number (NIN), the Bank Verification Number (BVN), a virtual NIN, Driving License, International Passport, Company details, Tax Identification Number (TIN), Permanent Voter's Card (PVC) and Phone Numbers. All these are sold by this website to any interested party for the sum of N100.00 (One Hundred Naira Only) for each data request." 

The CSO has call upon all relevant stakeholders to address the data privacy crisis after describing the findings as "a shocking revelation". 

OPEN TELEVISION Naija has made it known that according to the CSO, the website was visited five hundred and sixty-seven thousand, nine hundred and ninety (567,990) times in February 2024, one hundred and eighty-eight thousand, three hundred and sixty (188,360) times in April 2024.

The CSO therefore urged all critical stakeholders, "Including government agencies, financial institutions, the private sector, media institutions, researchers, and civil society organisations, to collaborate in addressing this data privacy crisis. Protecting the personal information of Nigerian citizens is of paramount importance, and collective efforts are needed to restore trust and ensure the security of our nation's data infrastructure. Nigerians have made a lot of sacrifices and trusted the government with their personal data in exchange for a social contract that includes security, so it would be ironic to leave all of that data in the hands of bad actors such as kidnappers, burglars and torrorists", the CSO concluded. 

In the meantime, the National Identity Management Commission (NICM) has debunked the claim of breach or compromise of data within their system in a statement, stating and emphasizing that the agency never authorised websites to sell or misuse NIN.