On the surface, ilotech.com.ng, a private website, appears to be a Virtual Top-Up (VTU) service provider, but FIJ obtained the National Identification Number (NIN) records of a Nigerian minister and a senator on the site for as low as N180 each.

VTU services include mobile airtime recharge, data bundle purchase, electricity bill payments and TV subscriptions.

FIJ, acting on a tip-off from a source who recently came across the website, found that IloTech was handling personal data of Nigerians without a licence from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the government entity authorised to manage such services. Worse, IloTech was selling the data.

Via this platform, FIJ obtained the NIN records of Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, and Orji Uzor Kalu, the senator representing Abia North.

On its homepage, IloTech claims to be a “registered telecommunication company that provides voice or data transmission services”. Its About page reads: “We offer instant recharge of Airtime, Databundle, CableTV (DStv, GOtv & Startimes), Electricity Bill Payment and more.”

ilotech.com.ng was registered on January 24, 2025, through TRUEHOST CLOUD. FIJ found that certain details have been redacted from Whois, a platform that provides information on domain names.

While the homepage tells one story, the dashboard of the website following sign up shows another.

First, accessing the services IloTech claims to offer meant FIJ had to register an account on the website. Registration requires a full name, phone number, NIN, email address, business name, address, password and accepting the Terms and Conditions. However, there are no terms and conditions for a new user to review before signing up.

The registration page.
Clicking on the Terms of service and the Privacy policy sections of the homepage simply directed the journalist to the part of the page where one either has to log in or register.

The experience was similar at the point of registration, where clicking on the ‘Terms and Conditions’ before accepting the content led nowhere.

Attempts to register an account without entering an NIN or accepting the Terms and Conditions did not lead to the desired result. One of the messages that popped up read, “Terms Not Accepted. You must accept the terms and conditions.”

Terms of service and Privacy policy

Left with no choice, FIJ accepted the nonexistent Terms and Conditions, and with the registration successful, the journalist was directed to the dashboard that displayed a list of 12 services offered by IloTech.

None of the services was related to airtime recharge, data bundle purchase, electricity bill payments and TV subscriptions, which the homepage had advertised.

FIJ found that IloTech actually offered services like NIN verification, validation and modification. It also offered BVN verification and retrieval, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) services and birth attestation.

FIJ understands that NIMC has a list of third-party agents and organisations, known as Front-End Partners (FEPs) who are licensed to provide NIN enrolment services to the public. IloTech was not on the list of 98 FEPs found on NIMC’s website.

To retrieve someone’s NIN record on this website, all one has to do is fund the wallet and then click on ‘NIN With Phone’ located on the left hand panel of website.

The website offers users four options of slip layout, which includes information, regular, standard and premium slips. The first two cost N180 while the rest cost N200.

At the point of verification on IloTech, users only need to tick a consent box that has the following words: by checking this box, you agree that the owner of the ID has granted you consent to verify his/her identity. However, an impersonator or a data harvester can falsely claim permission to use someone else’s ID.

What the information slip looks like.

In July, FIJ publish a report about NINCard, a similar platform selling the personal data of Nigerians without obtaining licence from the Commission. The report explained that under Section 14 of the NIMC Act, 2007, only the Commission and its licensed agents are permitted to register individuals or offer NIN-related services.

Unlicensed platforms like IloTech and NINCard easily expose Nigerians to identity theft, fraud and data misuse because sensitive, private details are handled without regulation or monitoring.

When FIJ searched Facebook, X and Instagram for social media posts about IloTech, we found that Ilotech Global Services, an energy solutions provider, issued a disclaimer in July to distance itself from IloTech.

The disclaimer read:

“This is to inform general public that the company bearing a name similar to our business name (ilo-tech.com) has nothing to do with us in any way and also its Web site (ilotec.com.ng) has nothing to do with us in any form. Our company Ilotech Global Services has No website and does not offer any services relating to NIN, BVN, selling of recharge cards and the rest of it. We have received numerous calls and WhatsApp chats regarding this and we categorically state that we are not the owner. We advise that you verify the customer support contact details on any website before making payments.”