By Ushang Ewa
The Police in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital have arrested 4 in connection with the breaking – in and stealing of over 4,500 National Identity Cards in the state office of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The cards are the old identity cards issued by the defunct Department of National Civic Registration (DNCR) which was replaced by the NIMC in 2007 following the passage of the NIMC Act in the same year a statement by the commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Loveday Ogbonna issued in Abuja read.
The 4 suspects who were found in possession of the cards numbering 4,555 have been charged to court in Calabar the NIMC said.
A store used by the NIMC, formerly belonging to the defunct DNCR was recently burgled with some items including the cards which are leftovers of the old Identity cards distributed years ago carted away.
Daily Trust Newspapers reports that the NIMC assured the recovered cards were not part of the new National e-ID Card currently being issued by the commission adding that: “the new National e-ID Card, which was launched in late 2014 is of higher technology, making it extremely difficult to be faked or used by anyone who is not the registered owner”.
The head of the Cross River State office, Mr. Godwin Odey had told listeners on a weekly radio program in Calabar; ‘The Dialogue With Agba Jalingo’ that there are 10,000 uncollected National e-ID cards in the state.