General News
Reps Decry Rising Fraudulent Activities Linked to POS
The House of Representatives has raised concern over a surge in fraud linked to Point-of-Sale (POS) operators nationwide. POS terminals are now a popular cash source for businesses and individuals seeking alternatives to ATMs, even though ATM fees are lower.
Speaking at a resumed investigative hearing with fintech stakeholders at the National Assembly Complex on Monday, the Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee on the Economic, Regulatory and Security Implications of Cryptocurrency Adoption and POS Operations in Nigeria, Hon. Olufemi Bamisile, lamented what he described as the infiltration of unlicensed crypto-related activities in the sector.
According to him, the Committee has received multiple reports of unprofiled agents, cloned terminals, anonymous transactions, and weak Know-Your-Customer practices, which he said are putting Nigerians at serious risk of financial loss, cybercrime, and security breaches.
“We are concerned about the growing rise in fraud associated with POS operations. Unprofiled agents, cloned terminals, and weak KYC practices continue to expose citizens to preventable dangers.
“There are allegations and credible information that some POS operators now engage in crypto-related services for which they are not licensed. This raises serious red flags around anti-money laundering, terrorism financing, data integrity, and the misuse of instruments originally designed for basic payment services,” he said.
Bamisile added that the Committee had been alerted to the registration of phony companies at the Corporate Affairs Commission, some of which allegedly use the National Identification Number and Bank Verification Number of unsuspecting citizens to open accounts and launder illicit funds through unverified POS channels.
“This highlight weak verification mechanisms and underscores the urgent need for a coordinated oversight framework,” he said.
He also disclosed that the Committee will investigate the storage of sensitive customer data on foreign servers by major fintech companies operating in Nigeria, warning that keeping data outside the country’s jurisdiction undermines regulators’ and security agencies’ ability to conduct audits, trace suspicious transactions, or enforce compliance.
“This has direct national security implications, especially in a sector connected to terrorism financing risks and cyber-enabled crimes,” he said.
Despite the concerns, Bamisile assured operators that the engagement was not a witch-hunt but an effort to rid the sector of practices harmful to the fintech industry.
“Our mandate is clear: to recommend legislation that will deliver a harmonised regulatory framework, stronger security safeguards, improved consumer protection, and an environment where innovation and investment can flourish responsibly,” he said.
The National President of the Association of Digital Payment and POS Operators of Nigeria, Paul Okafor, warned that the POS ecosystem has reached a critical emergency point, with fraud rising to a level that now poses a direct national security threat.
He told lawmakers that while POS operators had increased from 50,000 in 2017 to more than 2.3 million in 2025, regulatory capacity had grown by “less than 10 per cent”.
“This imbalance is what has produced the crisis we are facing today. The regulators, especially the CBN, are not incompetent; they are overwhelmed by the sheer speed and scale of growth.”
Quoting data from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, Okafor said POS, banking, and digital-payment channels suffered N17.67bn in fraud losses in 2023, affecting more than 80,000 customers. The situation worsened sharply in 2024, with losses rising to N52.26bn—an increase of N34.59bn in one year.
“More than 38,000 POS fraud cases were officially reported in one year. Unofficially, we estimate that over 70,000 cases go unreported because victims simply give up.
“In some states, security agencies report that nearly 40 per cent of kidnap ransom payments pass through informal POS cash-out channels. This is no longer a fintech issue; this is a national security threat,” he warned.
Okafor urged the Committee to issue a directive compelling the CBN to introduce urgent reforms to stabilise the system.
“If we fail to act, fraud will escalate, kidnappers will continue to exploit the system, Nigerians will lose more money, financial inclusion will collapse, and trust in the financial system will be destroyed. And when trust dies, the financial system dies,” he said.
To restore order, he outlined three measures ADPPON wants implemented immediately: mandatory Nigeria Police Force–NCCC Cybercrime Clearance Certificates for all POS operators; mandatory CAC registration for every POS business; and mandatory membership of recognised trade associations to enforce training, discipline, and self-regulation.
“These are practical, lawful solutions aligned with existing laws and international standards. They can be implemented without creating new legislation,” he told lawmakers.
He cited examples from other countries, noting that India, Kenya, Brazil, South Africa, and the United Kingdom enforce strict oversight to protect their POS ecosystems.
“In Brazil, agent fraud dropped by over 60 per cent after the government mandated police vetting. India, with over five million agents, maintains low fraud rates because verification is non-negotiable. No country leaves its financial system open to millions of operators or puts it in the hands of foreigners without strict controls. Nigeria must not be the exception,” he stressed.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery is reportedly nearing completion of a $2.5 billion private placement that values the company at about $40 billion ahead of its planned public listing.
Private placement is the direct sale of company shares or bonds to pre-selected investors instead of the general public and it is used to raise money quickly while avoiding strict public reporting rules.
People familiar with the transaction said investors acquired as much as 6 per cent of the refinery, according to a BusinessDay report.
The reported terms would value the business at approximately $40 billion.
Neither Dangote Group nor the refinery has publicly announced the final amount raised, the identities of most subscribers or the precise percentage sold.
The figures should therefore be treated as transaction details supplied by unnamed sources rather than confirmed company disclosures.
The reported $2.5 billion total is nevertheless significant as it indicates strong demand for exposure to a privately controlled refinery that has rapidly become central to Nigeria’s fuel supply and an increasingly important exporter of petroleum products.
The placement was said to have attracted more demand than the available shares, allowing the company to secure substantially more than the amount initially associated with the fundraising exercise.
Femi Otedola, chairman, First HoldCo, is the only major participant publicly identified in the report.
He reportedly committed $100 million to the transaction and sold his investment in Geregu Power Plc to finance the acquisition.
Nigeria’s pension industry was also reportedly cleared to participate.
Access to more than $17 billion in retirement assets would broaden the refinery’s potential investor base beyond wealthy individuals and conventional institutional buyers.
Participation by Pension Fund Administrators would, however, require careful attention to valuation, liquidity and portfolio-concentration limits.
Retirement funds must balance the attraction of a large Nigerian industrial asset against their responsibility to protect contributors’ savings.
The implied $40 billion valuation represents investor expectations about the refinery’s future earnings rather than only the physical cost of constructing the facility.
Its ability to process 650,000 barrels of crude daily gives it a central role in supplying Nigeria and other markets, but its commercial performance remains connected to crude availability, product prices, exchange rates and regulation.
The refinery has struggled to obtain all the Nigerian crude it requires under the government’s naira-for-crude arrangement.
It has consequently purchased some feedstock internationally and recently moved local petroleum-product pricing into dollars to align sales revenue more closely with its foreign-currency expenses.
Those constraints will be important during any public offering.
Prospective shareholders will want greater clarity on crude-supply contracts, debt, operating margins, export revenue and the company’s relationship with Nigerian regulators.
It is also unclear whether the private placement involved newly issued shares, a sale by existing owners or a combination of both.
That distinction determines whether the reported $2.5 billion becomes fresh capital for the refinery or proceeds received by selling shareholders.
The transaction could provide a useful price reference for the planned initial public offering.
Federal government will next month launch Nigeria’s first national organized crime strategy to strengthen the country’s response to terrorism, cybercrime, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping, illicit financial flows, and other forms of organized crime.
Major General Adamu Laka, national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser, disclosed this in Abuja during the validation of the strategy document.
He said the strategy provides a coordinated national framework for tackling organized crime through improved intelligence sharing, stronger collaboration among security agencies, and closer cooperation with the criminal justice system, civil society organizations, and international partners.
Major General Laka explained that the document was developed through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United States Government, and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Cheikh Toure, UNODC representative, said the strategy would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to combat transnational crimes, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, kidnapping, and illicit financial flows.
Also speaking, Douglas Grane, acting director of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, reaffirmed the U.S. government’s support for Nigeria’s efforts to tackle organized crime through stronger inter-agency and international cooperation.
Representatives of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, and the National Cyber Security Centre also endorsed the initiative, describing it as a major step towards improving Nigeria’s fight against organized crime.
FATE Foundation, with funding from the Citi Foundation, has launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Incubation Programme to equip young people in Nigeria with financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills.
Delivered through free, safe, and accessible platforms, the programme supports the incubation and scaling of youth-led enterprises, enabling income generation and job creation.
In October 2025, FATE Foundation was selected as a recipient of Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge to Accelerate Youth Employability. Joining the cohort of 50 organisations globally, the Foundation will receive $500,000 over two years to advance its youth employability initiative.
“We are excited to be selected for Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge,” said Ayomide Akindolie-Igwe, Executive Director of FATE Foundation.
“This support enables us to equip young entrepreneurs in Nigeria with the financial literacy and skills needed to build and scale sustainable businesses.”
The programme addresses youth employability by tackling Africa’s growing jobs crisis. By 2030, the African continent will be home to 40% of the world’s youth, and with one in three under 35 already unemployed, this initiative will support Nigerian youth with a two-phase approach. It begins with financial literacy training before progressing to entrepreneurship development, incubation support, and access to tools needed to build viable, job-creating businesses.
“Through this innovative initiative, FATE Foundation is supporting low-income Nigerian youth to develop essential financial and entrepreneurial skills using accessible platforms.
“This support is not just helping individuals to succeed; it is building a solid foundation for sustainable enterprises that will drive job creation and contribute significantly to our nation’s economic vitality. This initiative is empowering and investing in the future of Nigeria, one youth at a time,” said Nneka Enwereji, MD/CEO Citibank Nigeria Limited.
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