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By Chinenye Anuforo
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When the federal government introduced the mandatory National Identification Number-SIM linkage in 2020, the policy was projected as a game-changer in Nigeria’s fight against insecurity.
By linking every SIM card to a verified identity, authorities believed anonymous communications used by criminals would become a thing of the past.
Six years later, however, kidnapping for ransom and terrorist attacks remain among the country’s biggest security challenges, prompting renewed debate over the role of the NIN-SIM policy in combating crime.
The discussion resurfaced after the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, explained why kidnappers and terrorists are not always traceable despite the country’s expanding digital identity infrastructure.
Speaking during a monitored interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Coker-Odusote said criminals frequently frustrate investigations by using mobile phones belonging to their victims, instead of their own registered lines.
“We already know the NIN is the foundational identity for the security architecture, but a lot of the time, you find out the kidnappers use the phones of the people they have abducted. Which means, how do you trace them because they are not using their own phones?” she said.
She also suggested that some criminal elements involved in kidnapping operations may not even be captured in Nigeria’s identity database.
“There is a theory that it may be possible that these kidnappers are not Nigerians and are brought into the country 48 or 72 hours before a kidnapping takes place specifically for that purpose. I’m not insinuating anything, but if that were the case, they naturally would not be captured in our database,” she added.
The comments have revived questions about whether expectations placed on the NIN-SIM linkage have exceeded what the system was designed to deliver.
The NIN-SIM linkage exercise was introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with NIMC to strengthen identity management, eliminate anonymous SIM ownership and support national security.
Over the years, the exercise resulted in millions of subscribers linking their SIM cards with their National Identification Numbers, while telecom operators also deactivated millions of lines that failed to comply with regulatory directives.
Earlier, the NCC maintained that the policy was aimed at improving the integrity of Nigeria’s SIM registration database, strengthening identity verification and supporting security agencies in criminal investigations.
The regulator also described the exercise as an important component of the country’s digital economy and national security framework.
Telecommunications operators have consistently maintained that while they play a critical role in implementing the NIN-SIM linkage policy, they are not responsible for tracking criminals.
During the nationwide implementation of the exercise, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, repeatedly explained that telecom operators merely implement the directives of the NCC, while identity verification and validation are handled by the NIMC.
According to him, operators submit subscribers’ information for verification, but the actual authentication of National Identification Numbers is carried out on the NIMC platform. Where there are delays or unsuccessful validations, operators depend on NIMC’s responses before affected subscribers can be cleared.
Adebayo had also noted that the NIN-SIM harmonisation exercise was primarily aimed at sanitising the subscriber database by ensuring every active SIM is tied to a verified identity, while helping to reduce the use of anonymously registered phone lines for criminal activities.
His position highlighted the distinction between establishing the identity behind a SIM card and the responsibility of security agencies to investigate crimes using available intelligence and telecommunications data.
While the NIMC’s latest explanation acknowledged some of the practical limitations confronting investigators, it also reinforces the commission’s longstanding position that the NIN is fundamentally an identity management system rather than a standalone surveillance platform.
The National Identification Number serves as a unique digital identity used across multiple public and private sector services, including banking, passport applications, driver’s licence processing, telecommunications services and access to various government programmes.
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According to Coker-Odusote, the effectiveness of the system in combating crime depends not only on identity verification but also on collaboration among security agencies, telecommunications operators and other relevant institutions.
The position is shared by telecommunications lawyer and regulatory expert, Rotimi Akapo, who believes expectations surrounding the NIN-SIM linkage have often been misunderstood.
According to Akapo, the initiative was primarily designed to address an identity verification challenge by ensuring every SIM card is linked to a verifiable individual, rather than serving as a standalone solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.
“NIN-SIM linkage solves an identity problem, not a crime problem,” he said, noting that while the policy strengthens accountability within the telecommunications ecosystem, criminals can still exploit identity theft, fraudulently registered SIM cards, proxy registrations and other loopholes if security agencies are unable to effectively utilise available intelligence.
His view aligns with the broader objective of the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) programme, which describes digital identity as foundational infrastructure that enables people to prove who they are in order to access government and private sector services. Within that framework, security is one of several use cases rather than the sole objective of the national identity system.
The comments reinforce the argument that while the NIN-SIM linkage has significantly strengthened subscriber identity verification, translating identity data into successful criminal investigations depends on effective collaboration among telecommunications operators, security agencies and other institutions within Nigeria’s security architecture.
The latest explanation comes against the backdrop of persistent kidnapping incidents across several parts of the country despite widespread implementation of the NIN-SIM policy.
For many Nigerians, the mandatory linkage exercise created the expectation that criminals using mobile phones to negotiate ransom payments would become easier to identify and apprehend.
However, security operations are often more complex.
If kidnappers use phones belonging to abducted victims during ransom negotiations, subscriber records would naturally identify the victim rather than the perpetrator. Such situations require investigators to combine identity information with other intelligence tools and operational capabilities.
Similarly, if criminal networks involve individuals who are not enrolled in Nigeria’s identity database, the NIN alone cannot establish their identities without broader security and immigration intelligence.
Beyond security, the National Identification Number is designed as Nigeria’s foundational digital identity system.
The World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) programme, which has supported Nigeria’s digital identity expansion, describes foundational identity systems as platforms that enable individuals to securely prove who they are in order to access public and private sector services.
In Nigeria, the NIN has become the backbone for identity verification across banking, telecommunications, passport applications, tax administration, social intervention programmes and other government services. Security is one of several use cases envisioned for the platform rather than its sole objective.
This broader mandate suggests that while the NIN-SIM linkage can strengthen accountability by associating every active SIM card with a verified identity, its effectiveness in tackling kidnapping or terrorism ultimately depends on how efficiently identity information is integrated with law enforcement, intelligence gathering and other national security systems.
Recent efforts by the government indicate that the identity ecosystem continues to evolve.
President Bola Tinubu has directed NIMC to accelerate the enrolment of Nigerians into the national identity database, describing digital identity as critical to governance, planning and service delivery.
According to Coker-Odusote, the commission is expanding enrollment through partnerships under the World Bank-supported Identification for Development (ID4D) programme while strengthening biometric verification across government services. She also disclosed that telecom operators now validate facial biometrics against the NIMC database in real time during SIM registration.
As Nigeria continues to strengthen its digital public infrastructure, the latest debate highlights an important distinction between identity management and crime fighting.
The NIN-SIM linkage has significantly improved subscriber identity verification and reduced anonymous SIM ownership. However, the persistence of kidnapping suggests that digital identity alone cannot eliminate sophisticated criminal activities.
Rather, its effectiveness will ultimately depend on how efficiently identity information is integrated with intelligence gathering, telecommunications data, law enforcement operations and other elements of Nigeria’s broader security architecture.
