The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says it has uncovered a syndicate of individuals posing as employees of the commission and issuing fake national identity numbers to unsuspecting Nigerians.

It said some suspects had been arrested and were undergoing prosecution with relevant security agencies.

The NIMC Director General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, confirmed this at a press briefing in Abuja. 

She added that the commission got wind of the issue after a customer complained that she had paid 120,000 naira to modify her birth certificate.