YES, People Do Have Two BVN Numbers (HERE’S HOW)
The Bank Verification Number (BVN) system, launched in 2014, was meant to be the ultimate fixer. One person. One number. One truth.
"YES, PEOPLE DO HAVE TWO BVN NUMBERS (HERE’S HOW)"
But truth is slippery in Nigeria.
There are whispers in barber shops, stories on street corners, confessions in staff lounges of microfinance banks. The question is always asked in hushed tones:
“Can someone actually have two BVNs?”
Not only can they. They do. And here’s how.
This isn’t a blog post written in abstraction or copied from a government memo. It’s built from years of quiet stories, observed mistakes, systemic gaps, and the strange Nigerian genius for bending systems sometimes by accident, sometimes by design.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A BVN AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Before we dive into the duplications, let’s establish what a BVN is.
The Origin Story
In response to growing financial fraud, identity theft, and multiple bank account abuse, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in partnership with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), introduced the BVN—Bank Verification Number.
Each BVN is:
An 11-digit unique identifier
Linked to biometric data (fingerprints, facial scan)
Meant to unify your identity across all Nigerian banks
Why BVN Matters
Your BVN is:
The backbone of your financial credibility
The key to opening accounts
Required for loans, grants, pensions
Tracked by regulators, lenders, and even the courts
In short, your BVN is your financial identity in Nigeria.
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
THE “ONE NUMBER” PROMISE AND THE LOOPHOLES
The policy is iron-clad on paper:
"One individual, one BVN. No exceptions. No duplicates."
And yet like most things in Nigeria—the paper differs from the pavement.
The Flawed Assumption
The BVN system assumes three things:
That all banks will follow proper biometric procedures
That NIBSS will correctly match duplicate entries
That all Nigerians have consistent, standardized identity documentation
These are… generous assumptions.
THE FIVE WAYS PEOPLE END UP WITH TWO BVNs
Let’s break it down. These are five real-world scenarios in which people have ended up with two (or more) BVNs—each with different motivations and consequences.
The Innocent Error
Scenario: A young woman named Bolanle signs up for her first BVN at a rural microfinance bank. Her thumbprint is smudged. Her surname is misspelled as “Bolande.” Her NIN is entered incorrectly.
A year later, she moves to Lagos and tries to open an account with a commercial bank. The system can’t verify her existing BVN due to mismatched details.
She is advised to “register again.”
She does. And the system, rather than detecting and correcting the error, assigns a new BVN.
Result: Bolanle now has two BVNs, unknowingly. One with bad data, one with correct data.
The Diaspora Disconnect (The NRBVN Trap)
Scenario: A Nigerian named Chibuzo living in the U.S. registers for an NRBVN (Non-Resident BVN) through an embassy program.
But years earlier, he had already opened an account while schooling in Enugu, tied to a different BVN—one he forgot existed.
Due to differences in the ID documents used (passport vs. driver’s license), the system doesn’t match his old BVN. Instead, it issues a new NRBVN.
Two BVNs. Both technically valid. Neither fully aware of the other.
The Fraudster’s Game
Scenario: Musa is a serial borrower. He defaults on loans across three banks. Tired of being blacklisted, he approaches a “consultant” in Onitsha who helps him obtain a fresh national ID and opens a new bank account under a slightly modified name.
With strategic changes to date of birth, address, and a bribe at the biometric capture stage, he manages to secure a new BVN.
Result: Two identities, both active. Until the fraud is detected.
The Bureaucratic Shortcut
Scenario: Nkechi is asked to provide her BVN at a local government office for a grant application. Her name and birthday don’t match her existing BVN because her WAEC result uses her maiden name.
The official tells her:
“This one no go work o. Go open another one.”
To “help,” the official refers her to a nearby “BVN agent.” A second BVN is created with the alternate name.
Two BVNs created one legitimate, one bureaucratically convenient.
The Technological Glitch
Scenario: During a BVN enrollment exercise in 2016, hundreds of entries were delayed due to server issues. Some were not uploaded properly to the NIBSS system.
Bank staff, under pressure, re-enrolled customers rather than waiting for system recovery.
A batch of customers—including John, a factory worker—ends up with duplicate BVNs issued from different data centers.
Result: Technical error leads to two BVNs with overlapping but mismatched data.
WHY SYSTEMS FAIL TO DETECT DUPLICATES
You might wonder: But aren’t fingerprints and facial scans supposed to be unique?
Yes, but…
Partial Biometrics
If your first BVN registration captured only thumbprints, and the second captured all fingers, the system might not flag it—especially if associated data (email, NIN, phone) also differ.
Human Factors
Low-quality equipment, poorly trained bank agents, power outages, server downtimes—all can compromise biometric quality and make matching unreliable.
Institutional Silos
Some banks use legacy systems that don’t talk well with NIBSS in real-time. Batch uploads, inconsistent database architecture, and unreported mismatches allow duplicates to slip through.
YES, PEOPLE DO HAVE TWO BVN NUMBERS (HERE’S HOW)
CONSEQUENCES AND UNSEEN DANGERS
WHEN DOUBLE BVNs COME BACK TO BITE
In the beginning, it seems harmless. A second BVN might even feel like a clean slate.
But like every corner-cut in Nigeria’s financial system, a second BVN is a ticking time bomb. It doesn’t explode immediately—but when it does, the damage is often irreversible.
Let’s explore the risks, both seen and unseen.
Account Restrictions and Suspensions
The most immediate consequence of dual BVNs is flagged accounts.
When a customer’s details suddenly match two separate BVNs—often during an internal bank audit or KYC upgrade—systems raise red flags. The bank may:
Freeze the accounts
Request a BVN reconciliation
Report the account to NIBSS and the CBN
What follows is a bureaucratic nightmare.
Failed Loan Applications
Imagine this: You apply for a loan. On your new BVN, you have no debts. Clean credit. But the bank does a deep verification and stumbles on your old BVN—already defaulted, blacklisted.
Loan? Denied.
Even worse: you may be reported to credit bureaus under both identities.
Disqualification from Grants or Pensions
Many government intervention funds, scholarships, and pensions are tied to BVNs.
Dual BVNs raise questions about fraud. Some agencies will:
Disqualify the applicant automatically
Ban the person from future applications
Flag the account for investigation
In one documented case, a widow applying for a deceased spouse’s pension was denied because her BVN conflicted with an “unknown second BVN” she didn’t even remember creating.
Legal Trouble of having Two BVN Numbers
If one of your BVNs is ever linked to financial fraud, money laundering, or a criminal investigation—even if it was created by mistake—you may find yourself answering for both.
This is not hypothetical.
In 2021, a young man was arrested because a BVN linked to his passport was traced to a suspicious transaction. Unknown to him, the second BVN was created by a “helper” who used his ID to open a fake account.
No one wants to explain multiple identities to EFCC.
CASE STUDIES THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT TWO BVN NUMBERS
Let’s go beyond hypotheticals. These are real-world inspired cases (with names changed) that showcase the messy, tragic, and sometimes comical reality of BVN duplication.
“Oga, This is Not Your Fingerprint”
Profile: Tunde, Age 32, Artisan in Ibadan
Problem: Denied bank access
Details: Tunde opened a bank account in 2015 using his NIN and fingerprint. Three years later, during a loan application, the bank required a biometric update. But the scan couldn’t verify him.
Why? His fingerprint now matched a second BVN with a slightly different name and date of birth.
Turns out: A cybercafé operator had registered a different BVN for him while helping him “fill the form.” Now both BVNs were locked. Tunde spent six months without access to his savings.
My Father’s BVN Is Also Mine
Profile: Ngozi, Age 27, Student in Cyprus
Problem: Couldn’t receive international remittances
Details: When her father helped open her first Nigerian account, he used his own BVN to “fast-track” the process. Years later, Ngozi got her own BVN for NRBVN registration abroad. Her two bank accounts now bore different BVNs.
The systems eventually flagged it. The result? One account was shut down. The other was held for “compliance investigations.”
She almost lost her tuition due to a mismatched BVN issue that started at home.
“I Thought NRBVN Was a Different Thing Entirely”
Profile: Chima, Age 41, Nurse in Canada
Problem: Tax and remittance audit mismatch
Details: Chima had a BVN linked to an old Nigerian account. But he registered a second BVN through an NRBVN drive via the Nigerian consulate in Ottawa.
When he began processing property purchases and business registration, two BVNs came up—one clean, one dormant. The confusion led to a flagged profile on the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal.
It took him over 8 months to correct the dual identity issue—delaying his investment.
My Second BVN Was Created Without My Consent”
Profile: Yusuf, Age 36, Driver in Lagos
Problem: Wrong arrest for fraud
Details: Yusuf was arrested in connection to a fraudulent money transfer. Upon investigation, it turned out the account was created using his national ID and BVN.
But Yusuf insisted he never opened that account.
The account was tied to a BVN that matched his thumbprint but had been registered in a different name.
A former acquaintance had used his ID card to open the account through an agent. His fingerprints were taken while he was drunk at a party—later used fraudulently.
He was eventually cleared, but the experience nearly ruined his life.
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