79,518 prisoners in Nigeria to get NIN as NIMC licenses correctional services to enroll inmates

 The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has granted the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) license to register all 79,518 inmates across the 256 Custodial centres in the country for national identity numbers (NIN).

Disclosing the information on Tuesday during a visit to the NIMC headquarters in Abuja, NCoS Acting Controller General, Mr Sylvester Nwakuche said that the latest directive will enable the registration of inmates for NIN which will also prevent the exclusion of inmates from the country’s National Development plans.

Nwakuche expressed that the visit is structured to establish a partnership with NIMC noting that it would enable the Service to carry out its mandate seamlessly following ongoing reforms of the Correctional Service system. He added that the collaboration would also ensure the inmates’ safety and security and facilitate their smooth recapture in times of jailbreaks.

“There are lots of socio-economic developments within the Correctional Service systems. This had led to a number of inmates obtaining University degrees, Masters Degrees, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in various fields. Such inmates should not be excluded from the national development plans of the country as they should be integrated into the society to become useful for their families and the country,” he said.

Nwakuche shared that inside the Correctional Centres were those awaiting trials whose innocence and otherwise had to be decided by the Courts. Statistics from the NCoS website show that 53,440 prisoners are awaiting trials, representing 67 per cent of the total inmates. 

He suggested that inmates awaiting trials should be allowed to participate in times of National planning, census, and other critical national development issues.

The NIMC DG, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote stressed that the administering of NIN has become significant and critical for the actualization of Nigeria’s development plans. She noted that as part of the eight points agenda of President Bola Tinubu to promote the Country’s digital identity or National identity Number, NIMC had gone far with the private sector, especially the banks and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as all bank accounts were now linked with the NIN.

“For instance, NIN was tied to student loans to eradicate duplicity and prevent ghost beneficiaries. We will give you the license and support to ensure you carry out the mandate of the service effectively,” she said.

While expressing her delight in the partnership with NCoS, Coker-Odusote added that the commission had already entered into a partnership with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and other agencies. She said the process is essential in ensuring the smooth delivery of constitutional mandates.

NIMC multipurpose card

In its effort to increase the acquisition of the national identity card and modernize its structure, the commission in November said that the new national identity card will serve as a multipurpose card that will enable both means of identification and financial transactions.

NIMC has previously stated that Nigerians will now pay for the new multipurpose national ID card due to limited government revenue. It also announced its partnership with Nigerian banks to allow citizens to request and collect their cards from any bank branch, making the process more accessible.

The NIMC Director of Card Management Services, Peter Iwegbu during an interview with Channels TV highlighted that the agency’s plan is to make every Nigerian have a valid means of identification. 

“It (the card) enables you to have an evidential identification to be able to say this is who I am, particularly for very remote areas where they do not have any means of identity…It enables us to include some of these people who have been financially excluded. It enables you to participate in financial services which means you can do exactly what your debit card can currently do like withdraw money, make payments on your web, transfer money, and so on,” he said.

On the part of the vulnerable who are financially disadvantaged, NIMC expressed that measures had been introduced to assist less privileged Nigerians, ensuring they can access the card for government support.

Records as of October last year show that the NIMC  had issued NIN to 115 million Nigerians and legal residents. With the permission to register all inmates, the statistics are set to increase.  

Also Read: “New NIMC multipurpose card enables evidential identification” – NIMC Director.