HURIWA Faults Police, NDPC Over Delay in Probe of Alleged NIPSS Data Breach Involving Naval Officer

HURIWA Faults Police, NDPC Over Delay in Probe of Alleged NIPSS Data Breach Involving Naval Officer

Frontline pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has criticised the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, and the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) over what it described as prolonged inaction on petitions alleging cybercrime, unlawful interception of private communications and data protection breaches involving a senior naval officer and other officials of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).

In a statement issued on August 30, 2026, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, expressed concern that more than a year after the petitions were submitted, neither the Nigeria Police Force nor the NDPC had publicly communicated the status of their investigations or taken visible steps to address the allegations.

The rights group described the delay as inconsistent with the statutory responsibilities of both institutions, warning that it could undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s commitment to enforcing cybercrime and data protection laws.

According to HURIWA, the petitions, submitted on July 1, 2025, by PRNigeria Publisher, Alhaji Yushau A. Shuaib, alleged the unauthorised access, interception and use of private digital correspondence belonging to him and his organisation during disciplinary proceedings at NIPSS without a court order or lawful authorisation.

The organisation noted that the petitions named Barrister Nima Salman Mann, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha and Professor Elias Wahab as individuals allegedly linked to the incident, adding that the allegations raise serious questions under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 and…