Dr. Kingsley Aguoru, a Nigerian-British information security expert, has raised alarm over the continued use of card PINs for online payments, urging the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to address what he describes as a pressing security risk to Nigerians’ finances.
In a petition obtained by Chronicle NG on Sunday, Aguoru, a Chartered Engineer and Director of Information Security with over two decades of experience in financial technologies, highlighted the need for the CBN to ban card PIN use for online transactions.
He mentioned that the current practice exposes Nigerian consumers to high risks, including phishing, keylogging, and man-in-the-middle attacks.
“Nigerian payment providers like Paystack, Flutterwave, and Interswitch continue to require card PINs for online transactions, a practice that is virtually obsolete globally,” Aguoru noted in the petition, titled ‘Urgent Call to Ban Card PIN Usage for Online Payments in Nigeria.’
He went on to say that while PINs are intended for usage at ATMs and POS terminals with strong encryption, using them online exposes users to cyber dangers.
Aguoru, credited with pioneering one-time passwords for card-not-present purchases, claimed that continuous PIN usage could allow unscrupulous individuals to intercept and misuse consumers’ information.
He also claimed that Nigerian consumers should just use OTPs or multi-factor authentication for online payments, rather than mixing them with card PINs.
“Combining OTPs with card PINs is unnecessary and risky. Instead, customers should be provided with secure alternatives, such as hardware card readers that generate OTPs independently,” he said.
Aguoru urged the CBN to immediately implement these security measures and educate the public on safe online payment practices.
“I respectfully call on the CBN to address these issues by prohibiting web PIN entry for card payments and enforcing OTP or MFA requirements across all payment providers,” he stated.
He believes that implementing these measures would match Nigeria’s payment systems with global best practices and greatly minimise the risk to Nigerian customers.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
