Armed ViolenceNews

Foreigners Acquiring National ID Number In Northeast Nigeria

Some foreigners from Chad, Cameroon, and Niger republic are reportedly being enrolled for the NIN in Nigeria, raising concerns over security implications.

Enrolment centres for National Identity Number (NIN) registration in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, are enrolling foreigners from Chad, Cameroon, and the Niger Republic trapped in the city as a result of the insurgency, HumAngle can report.

An official who has followed this development in the past months informed HumAngle that hundreds of foreigners had been enrolled without immigration screening, which violates the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act mandating immigration pass for non-Nigerians.

According to the official who did not want his name mentioned, many of the enrolment centres across Maiduguri have no immigration official on sight, allowing foreigners to register at will.  

“Registration centres only focus on extorting N2,000 from applicants regardless of their nationality,” he revealed.


Borno State shares a border with three nations:

 Cameroon, Chad and the Republic of Niger. Inhabitants of the border communities on both sides share the same ethnicity, further complicating national identity differentiation.

Nigerian Government in Dec. 2020 asked citizens to link their sim cards with their NIN as part of measures to tackle insecurity challenges confronting the country. 

The registration has since been extended several times, as many Nigerians complain about overcrowding, slow response and nepotism at enrolment centres. 


Support Our Journalism

There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.

To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.

Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.

Donate Here

Of course, we want our exclusive stories to reach as many people as possible and would appreciate it if you republish them. We only ask that you properly attribute to HumAngle, generally including the author's name, a link to the publication and a line of acknowledgement. Contact us for enquiries or requests.

Contact Us

Muhammed Akinyemi

Muhammed Akinyemi is a journalist, creative writer and editor with international bylines. He explores storytelling using innovative tools like satellite imagery, interactive data, and multimedia to tell stories that are accessible to all people. He is a 2019 African Liberty Writing Fellow, and an APLP graduate from NTA, Egypt. He works as HumAngle's Interactive Editor. He tweets personal opinions via @theprincelyx.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Translate »