Remita, Sterling Bank Under Scrutiny After Alleged Privacy Violation

Nigeria’s data protection regulator has initiated a formal inquiry into allegations of a major data compromise involving Remita and Sterling Bank, raising fresh concerns about the safety of sensitive customer information within the country’s financial systems.

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) confirmed that it has already notified the organisations under investigation, with the process officially commencing at the beginning of April. Authorities say affected parties are cooperating by submitting relevant details to help clarify what may have occurred.

According to the commission, the investigation will assess the extent of the suspected breach, including the categories of personal data involved, the potential risks to individuals, and whether adequate safeguards were in place to prevent such an incident.

The probe follows reports circulating in cybersecurity circles suggesting that hackers may have accessed confidential records linked to the platforms, potentially exposing user and institutional data.

Regulators also indicated that the review could go beyond the immediate case, extending to other organisations that rely on digital payment infrastructure but may not fully comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act. This broader move is aimed at strengthening accountability and improving data security standards across the financial technology space.

The NDPC emphasized that its primary goal is to ensure that companies handling personal data adopt strong technical and organisational measures to protect users, especially as Nigeria’s digital finance sector continues to expand rapidly.