By our Reporter
The Lagos Centre of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been shut due to the crowd that besieged the office and refused to comply with COVID-19 protocols. The crowd gathered in their hundreds to enroll for the National identity Number (NIN) on Monday.
The Director of Corporate Communications of NIMC, Kayode Adegoke gave explanation for the shutdown while another official who preferred anonymity explained that the biometric capturing started around 7:00am and it was first orderly before other people staying outside forced the gate open and the whole place turned rowdy.
He said at the time, pictures were taken and circulated and they got an order from Abuja to stop the process, saying they were attending to the first 25 people at the time.
The official added that police officers and officers of the National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) were called in to intervene.
Adegoke, the spokesperson of the commission, said the centre had to be shut as COVID-19 protocols were not being observed.
He faulted Nigerians for “last minute rush” as, according to him, the commission had made the announcement of blocking SIM cards without NIN since March.
In a related development, the NCC has released a statement announcing an extension in the deadline for incorporating National Identification Number (NIN) with SIM cards.
This is as a result of the crowd that bombarded the registration office in Lagos on Monday as residents struggled to register for the NIN.
This followed an earlier directive by the government for NIN to be linked to all SIM cards within the next two weeks.
According to the new statement, the deadline has now been extended by a minimum of three weeks and there would be no reason for panic any longer or rush.