The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has initiated the enrolment of inmates across Nigeria’s correctional facilities, marking a major step toward ensuring that even those behind bars are included in the nation’s identity framework. Under a licence granted to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), approximately 60,000–80,000 inmates in 256 custodial centres will be registered for their National Identity Numbers (NIN) .
Acting Controller-General of NCoS, Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche, revealed during a visit to NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote in January 2025 that the enrolment is designed to eliminate the exclusion of inmates from national development planning, while also enhancing security, accountability, and effective prison management .
Nwakuche also highlighted the broader reforms underway within the Correctional Service, including robust educational achievements by inmates—many earning university degrees, master’s degrees, and PhDs, which underline the need for fully integrating them into digital systems .
Director-General Coker-Odusote reaffirmed the NIN’s role as a foundational element of President Tinubu’s digital identity agenda, which supports initiatives like social grants, student loans, and financial inclusion efforts through banking sector linkage .
NCoS is expected to make use of this new licence to systematically register inmates across all custodial centres, ensuring no one is excluded from national data systems. This move also provides vital support for official efforts to track and recapture escapees, while affirming inmates’ rights to be included in national population metrics and socio-economic planning.
