The House of Representatives has been unsuccessful in securing the arrest of Abisoye Coker-Odusote, the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, despite repeated warnings regarding her non-compliance with an invitation to appear before its committee.
The House Committee on Public Petitions had summoned Coker-Odusote over allegations made by Truid Limited, accusing NIMC of breaching a software development license agreement.
Truid Limited, in its petition to the committee, claimed that it funded and deployed a tokenization system for NIMC in 2021. The agreement reportedly allowed the company to recoup its investment through revenue sharing over a period of 10 years. However, the agreement was terminated after Coker-Odusote assumed office in August 2023.
Despite receiving multiple invitations, Coker-Odusote failed to appear before the committee, leading to heightened tensions. In February 2025, the Chairman of the Committee, Mike Etaba, warned that should she fail to attend the next hearing scheduled for March 13, the Inspector-General of Police would be directed to arrest her. However, more than two weeks after the deadline, no action has been taken, raising concerns about the committee’s determination to enforce its directive.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, Etaba condemned Coker-Odusote’s continued absence, questioning how a public official could disregard a legitimate summons. He remarked, “How can a government official ignore constituted authority?”
However, when asked about the current status of the case, Etaba disclosed that the matter had been “stepped down” for Alternative Dispute Resolution. He explained, “The committee is silent on it until we receive the ADR report,” without providing a specific timeline for the resolution.
Efforts to obtain comments from NIMC’s spokesperson, Kayode Adegoke, proved unsuccessful.
