By Azeez Ridwan
The Ta’awunu Human Rights Institute –Nigeria has, after receiving different reports of an extortion of Nigerians by NIMC officials at various enrolment centres in Nigeria written to the National Headquarters in Abuja.
In the letter duly signed by the chairman, Barrister Sulaymon A. Tadese, noted that there are unofficial payment collected by officials of the National Identifications Management Commission Nationwide.
“We therefore write to you as an organisation that enjoys high sensitivity to human rights to vividly inform or present this rampant painful complaint to your office. It is our complaint that your officials have been demanding thousands of amounts from various people approaching your centers for registration, which is totally contrary to what is being stipulated on your official portal as free registration”, he said.
Addressing the issue, the chairman as well projected an end to the unpatriotic extortion of indigent Nigerians who can be said to have been forced to the compulsory enrollment of National Identification card after threat of blocking SIM card users who abscond from such registration.
He added that “Crucially, as a concerned human rights body with an eagle eye, we wish to clearly establish it before you, that the body had checkmated and confirmed the alledged extortion Nationwide, which there are concrete evidences thereof to proof such anywhere we have been called”
He further said “In respect of this, it is our wish that the NIMC should bring an end to this baseless extortion with an immediate effect, and which failure thereof shall necessitate legal actions against you”.
