The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned Nigerians against the sale and purchase of National Identification Number (NIN) by citizens.
This followed the recent struggle to acquire the National Identity Number from offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) across the country.
The commission said that some unscrupulous persons are beginning to cash in on the desperation of some citizens to obtain the number, thereby offering to transfer their numbers to enrollees for a fee or seeking to buy from unsuspecting citizens.
EFCC, in a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, on Thursday, explained that the buyers of the numbers are trading with persons whose motives are anything but noble.
According to Uwujaren: “The EFCC wishes to alert Nigerians that it is not only illegal to sell their NIN, they stand the risk of vicarious liability for any act of criminality linked to their NIN.
“In other words, they risk arrest and prosecution for any act of criminality linked to their NIN whether or not they are directly responsible for such crimes”, Uwujaren said.
The commission warned members of the public to report anyone either offering to sell or seeking to buy their NIN, to the nearest office of the EFCC or other law enforcement agencies.
