Bank Account Verification in Nigeria

Verify a Nigerian bank account number (NUBAN format) and retrieve the account holder's name and address details before initiating a transfer.

Prerequisites

You'll need an API key with environment: live for production or environment: sandbox for testing. See API Keys to generate one.

Note: Verification endpoints use an API key in the X-API-Key header — not a Bearer token.

Make the request

Nigerian accounts use the 10-digit NUBAN format. Supply the account number and the bank's routing code.

curl -X POST https://api.lira.com/api/v1/verify/account \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "accountNumber": "0123456789",
    "country": "NG",
    "bankCode": "044"
  }'

Request fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`accountNumber`	string	Yes	10-digit NUBAN account number
`country`	string	Yes	Must be `NG`
`bankCode`	string	Yes	Bank routing code (e.g. `044` for Access Bank)
`mode`	string	No	`sync` (default) or `async`
`webhookUrl`	string	No	Required when `mode` is `async`

Successful response

{
  "id": "ver_a1b2c3d4-...",
  "status": "success",
  "verificationType": "ACCOUNT_NUMBER",
  "identifier": "0123456789",
  "country": "NG",
  "verifiedAt": "2026-03-09T10:05:00.000Z",
  "verified": true,
  "accountNumber": "0123456789",
  "accountName": "Jane Doe",
  "bankCode": "044",
  "bankName": "Access Bank",
  "address": {
    "state": "Lagos",
    "lga": "Ikeja"
  }
}

Sandbox test data

Account Number	Bank Code	Expected result
`0000000000`	`044`	`success` — "Test Account, Access Bank"
`0000000001`	`044`	`failed` — `ACCOUNT_NOT_FOUND`
`0000000002`	`044`	`error` — gateway error simulation

Error codes

`error.code`	Cause	Action
`ACCOUNT_NOT_FOUND`	Account number not found at the specified bank	Ask the user to check their account number and bank code
`INVALID_BANK_CODE`	Bank code not recognised	Validate against the supported banks list
`INVALID_ACCOUNT_NUMBER`	Must be exactly 10 digits (NUBAN)	Validate format before submitting
`PROVIDER_ERROR`	Upstream system error	Retry with exponential backoff
`PROVIDER_TIMEOUT`	Upstream system timed out	Retry — transient error

Next steps

Bank Account in Ghana — verify Ghanaian bank accounts
Bank Account in Kenya — verify Kenyan bank accounts
Async Verification — receive results via webhook
Errors — full error code reference

Overview

Bank Account in Ghana