Paradigm Initiative, a digital rights and inclusion advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit against the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), accusing the agency of failing to protect Nigerians’ personal data.
The group’s Executive Director, Gbenga Sesan, announced this during a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, stating that the case was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja in October. The hearing is scheduled for January 22, 2025.
“We filed the case in October. They now have the opportunity to prove to Nigerians whether a data breach occurred or not,” Sesan said.
The lawsuit follows reports earlier this year that sensitive data belonging to millions of Nigerians was available for sale online. Although NIMC publicly denied the allegations, Sesan claimed that Paradigm Initiative’s investigations uncovered vulnerabilities in the commission’s systems months after the initial reports.
“There were claims that data belonging to millions of Nigerians was being sold on the dark web. This raised concerns because the figures exceeded Nigeria’s population, suggesting massive duplication or unauthorised access to sensitive information across multiple platforms,” Sesan explained.
While NIMC assured the public in April that the breach had been resolved, Paradigm Initiative discovered in June that a new platform was being used to sell Nigerians’ data.
“This discovery highlights a failure to address the root cause of the digital rights issue,” Sesan added.
To demonstrate the ongoing nature of the breaches, the organisation purchased personal data belonging to senior government officials, including the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and NIMC’s Director General.
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was necessary to get the attention of authorities who have failed to act on previous reports. If they won’t protect the data of ordinary Nigerians, maybe they’ll care when it’s their own data being sold,” Sesan stated.
The group has called for greater accountability and stronger measures to secure citizens’ data.
