Tinubu, Shettima, Ribadu’s Data Not Secure, Paradigm Alleges

Nigeria’s starring integer rights group, Paradigm Initiative, has raised an alarm implicit a monolithic information breach that puts adjacent the country’s apical leaders astatine risk.

The radical says the idiosyncratic accusation of President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and National Security Advisor (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu is being traded cheaply online.

At a media briefing successful Abuja yesterday, Paradigm Initiative’s enforcement director, Gbenga Sesan, revealed that National Identification Numbers (NINs), location addresses, passport photos and mobile numbers are being sold for arsenic small arsenic ₦100.

“All the mode to the top, including the presidency, people’s NIN slips are being sold. This is simply a large risk, not lone due to the fact that this accusation should beryllium private, but due to the fact that it tin beryllium utilized to impersonate, get SIM cards, oregon adjacent instrumentality loans,” Sesan said.

He warned that the authorities was downplaying the crisis.

“They are pretending thing is incorrect truthful that cipher volition punish them, but it’s already excessively late,” helium added. “Citizens’ information is not safe,” helium said.

Paradigm Initiative said it has taken the substance to tribunal and urged the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to clamp down connected agencies leaking delicate information.
The radical besides called connected the citizens and the media to equine unit connected the authorities to act.

“Plug this spread and punish those who person offended. Make definite it doesn’t hap again,” Sesan said.
At the event, Khadija El-Usman, a elder programme serviceman with Paradigm Initiative, presented the London 2024 Nigeria Report, an yearly appraisal of integer rights successful 27 African countries.
Nigeria, she said, scored 36 retired of 60 connected indicators including net access, state of expression, information extortion and artificial intelligence.

The study flagged net throttling successful August 2024, the apprehension of journalists and ongoing gaps successful the enforcement of the Data Protection Act.

It besides noted Nigeria’s progress, including the rollout of 5G, the instauration of the NDPC and the adoption of a nationalist AI strategy.

However, El-Usman stressed that much indispensable beryllium done. She urged the authorities to respect the Freedom of Information Act, guarantee affordable net entree and enforce compliance with information extortion laws.