‘NIA will not shield any official engaged in criminal acts’

The National Identification Authority (NIA) has said it would not shield any registration official who engaged in acts of criminality or corrupt practices in the ongoing mass registration exercise.

The warning comes following the attempt by Timothy Wuni, an NIA Mobile Registration Workstation Operator, to register a foreigner onto the National Identity Register at the Abbosey Okai Mosque Registration Centre in the Greater Accra Region.

A statement signed and issued by Mr Francis Palmdeti, the Head of Corporate Affairs of the NIA, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said all NIA officials were warned during the training about the consequences of engaging in any acts of criminality.

It said NIA officials were also instructed to promptly report any act of criminality they may witness in the line of duty to the Police.

It, therefore, endorsed the action undertaken by its registration supervisor at Abbosey Okai Mosque Registration Centre, on Monday, May 6, when Mr Wuni attempted to register a foreigner onto the electronic identity register.

With regards to the alleged registration at a private residence, the statement said the equipment found in the house belonged to the NIA and that it was referred as the Mobile Registration Workstation used to capture the personal information of eligible applicants.

However, the said equipment could not be used to register and issue cards to applicants on its own, unless it is being operated.

Currently, the equipment is in the custody of the Police and the NIA is assisting the law enforcement authorities in their investigations, the statement said.

The Authority assured the public that the integrity of the NIA System had not been compromised and would continue to ensure the information captured onto the National Identity Register were protected from any kind of unauthorised access.