ABUJA, Nigeria — The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has dismissed claims that Nigeria lacks a functional national identity database, describing the assertion as misleading and contrary to conditions on the ground.
Okay News reports that NIMC issued the rebuttal in a statement signed by Head of Corporate Communications Kayode Adegoke, after Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, said at the Nigerian People’s Strategic Conference and Defence Exhibition 2026 in Abuja on Saturday, June 14, 2026, that weak national database systems have been a major factor undermining efforts to combat insecurity, kidnapping, and other crimes.
“We are struggling because we do not have a proper database. Without accurate information and timely intelligence, it becomes difficult to identify, track and apprehend criminal elements operating within our communities,” Musa stated.
NIMC said the National Identity Database, established under the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007, is fully operational, secure, and actively supporting identity verification, authentication, and service delivery across the country, with records of more than 130 million Nigerians, each assigned a unique National Identification Number (NIN).
“NIMC is statutorily mandated to establish, own, operate, maintain, and manage the National Identity Database. This centralised, biometric-based database is fully functional, secure, and actively supporting identity verification, authentication, and service delivery across Nigeria,” the statement read.
The Commission said the system’s storage capacity has been expanded from 100 million to 250 million records to support broader national coverage and future enrollment growth. It also referenced the launch of NINAuth, a digital identity authentication platform designed to facilitate secure biometric and demographic verification against the central database.
NIMC said the database is currently being utilised by security agencies, law enforcement bodies, and various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies for identity verification, background checks, and operational efficiency. “Several security agencies are utilising the National Identification Number through the National Identity Database to tackle security challenges and eliminate any threat to national security,” the Commission stated.
The Commission said the database also supports the harmonisation of existing government databases while playing a critical role in fraud prevention, public service delivery, and national security operations.
The last NIN enrollment data published on the NIMC website as of the time of filing was for October 2025, showing 123.9 million NINs had been issued at that time, below the 130 million figure currently cited by the Commission. Lagos State recorded the highest cumulative enrollment of over 13.1 million, with Kano State second at 11.5 million enrollments as of October 2025.
