The House of Representatives, has expressed full support for the recent move by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), against illegal harvest of Nigerians’ data, urging citizens’ vigilance against data security breaches.
The House in what it termed ‘Public Advisory’ issued on Sunday said it acknowledged the recent statement by the NIMC regarding unauthorised websites harvesting the personal data of Nigerians, as it strongly advised the public to exercise caution, as well as avoid providing personal information to phishing and fraudulent websites.
The Commission had listed some of such platforms to include, but limited as;
Verify.Ng/signin
anyverify.com, and
“These websites, described by NIMC as data harvesters, have no authorisation to access or manage sensitive data. Licensed partners or vendors are only authorised to verify NINs through approved channels and are not permitted to scan or store NIN slips”, the Advisory signed by spokesman of the House, Akin Rotimi cited NIMC’s statement.
“The House is deeply concerned and views this disturbing pattern of scam messages and phishing activities as the handiwork of individuals with agenda that seek to cause distractions and undermine ongoing reforms within NIMC”, he stated.
According to him, Chairman of the House Committee on Population, Jimi Odimayo expresses the House’s full support for NIMC’s efforts to protect the integrity of the National Identification Number (NIN) system and other sensitive data, quoting him as saying that “We recognise the importance of robust data security measures as a cornerstone of our national security. The House of Representatives stands firmly with NIMC in addressing these pressing issues and ensuring that our citizens’ data is protected from malicious actors”.
He concluded that “The House urges the Office of the National Security Adviser and other relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice”, adding that the House committed to collaborating with relevant stakeholders to improve national security.
