New CAC Portal Under Fire for Approving Names Linked to Terrorism and Crime

The recently upgraded Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration portal has come under criticism after reports emerged that it approved several company names referencing terrorism, violence, and criminal activities.

According to Abuja-based lawyer Manir Faisal, who tested the new AI-powered CRP 3.0 platform, the system reserved names including Boko Haram Training Hub, Bandit Food Supply, Nuclear Proliferation Services, Explosive Making Enterprises, and Nigeria Must Scatter Enterprises.

The approvals, which are in clear violation of Section 30(1) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), have raised concerns among legal professionals and data experts about the readiness of the platform for public use.

Commenting on the development, lawyer and data science expert Ahmad Aminu Ahmad described the incident as “deeply alarming” and called for an immediate suspension of the portal to prevent further misuse.

“For any artificial intelligence system to function effectively, it must be properly trained with extensive, high-quality data,” Ahmad said. “In this case, the AI cannot distinguish between random character strings and names that are offensive, undesirable, or contrary to public policy.”

He warned that the system’s failure to identify prohibited names could allow entities with dangerous or misleading identities to gain legal recognition in Nigeria.

Ahmad urged the CAC to halt all registrations on the platform, conduct a comprehensive audit of approved names, and revert to the previous registration process until the AI system is fully trained and tested.

“This is a commendable innovation by the CAC, but innovation without proper safeguards can do more harm than good,” he added.

As of the time of this report, the CAC has yet to issue an official statement addressing the concerns.