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Nigeria’s NIMC Under Scrutiny for Huge NIN Data Breach

A small company got full access to the private info of 100 million Nigerians. Now, Nigeria’s Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is in trouble for a big data breach. XpressVerify, the company involved, made money from people’s ID numbers.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji from the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) warned NIMC could face penalties if found guilty. This isn’t new for NIMC; they were accused of neglect last year when their identity app was hacked, and data was sold on the dark web. Despite NIMC denying it, many reports show they have weak security.

Dr. Olatunji promised prosecutions for those responsible. NDPC’s initial findings suggest an NIMC agent caused the issue by working with the company.

According to the law, companies breaking data rules could be fined up to ₦10 million or 2% of their yearly earnings. While NIMC itself might not be fined, individuals and partners involved could face charges.

NDPC checked NIMC’s setup and found it “okay.” Last year, NDPC checked other big companies like OPay, Meta, and DHL for similar violations. Some paid fines, but NDPC cares more about fixing issues than money.

Hi, I’m Damife Isaac

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