Customers of Providus Bank, now operating as ProvidusUnity, have reported a wave of unauthorised card transactions months after a major data breach exposed sensitive information belonging to several Nigerian financial institutions and public agencies.
Several affected customers disclosed the incident on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, alleging that unknown individuals carried out fraudulent transactions using their bank cards without their authorisation. Other customers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed experiencing similar incidents.
The development has renewed concerns over the security of customers’ financial data following a cyberattack that occurred earlier this year.
In March 2026, hackers compromised the systems of multiple Nigerian institutions, including Sterling Bank, Remita, and other organisations. A hacker identified as “Bytetobreach” later published sensitive data allegedly obtained from the affected institutions, raising fears of widespread exposure of personal and financial information.
Following the breach, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) announced in April 2026 that it had launched an investigation into the incident. However, three months later, the commission has yet to publicly release the findings of its probe.
Cybersecurity experts have continued to warn about the growing threat of data breaches in Nigeria. According to Surfboard, a global cybersecurity firm, hackers were responsible for approximately 281,000 email breaches in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2026 alone.
The issue has also attracted the attention of the Federal Government. In June, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, pledged that the NDPC would investigate the illegal sale of Nigerians’ personal data by unauthorised websites, amid increasing reports of data misuse.
Nigeria’s rapid digital transformation has significantly increased the amount of personal information stored online. According to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the country has about 148 million active internet users, while more than 130 million Nigerians have enrolled for National Identity Numbers (NIN) out of an estimated population of 250 million.
As internet penetration continues to grow, cybersecurity analysts warn that data breaches are becoming an increasingly common threat, exposing millions of Nigerians to risks such as identity theft, financial fraud, phishing attacks and unauthorised access to personal information.
Neither ProvidusUnity nor the NDPC had issued a public statement specifically addressing the reported unauthorised card transactions as of the time of filing this report.
