FG Moves to Address Insecurity Issues of Unregistered SIM Cards

By Emma Okonji

In a bid to tame insecurity emanating from unregistered and improperly registered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), through the directive of the Minister of Communications, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, has successfully blocked and deactivated 9.1 million improperly registered SIM cards across all networks in the last one month.

Pantami, who gave the information in a statement signed by the Deputy Director in charge of Information and PR Unit, Ministry of Communications, Mrs. Philomena Oshodin, said the NCC had within the same period, blocked a total of 6.8 million improperly registered SIM cards across all networks and later revalidated and reactivated the 6.8 million SIM cards, after their owners had gone to their network providers to revalidate their SIM cards after they were initially blocked.

According to the statement: “The NCC has ensured that all improperly registered SIM card numbers have been blocked.
“This was as a result of Pantami’s directives that no improperly registered SIM card number should remain active beyond 11:59pm of Wednesday, 25th of September, 2019.

“Subsequently, according to the report submitted by the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC on Thursday, 26th September, a total of 2,277,311 improperly registered lines have been blocked.

“As earlier reported, 6,830,249 lines have been revalidated since the directive was given. Pantami has reiterated the need for all improperly registered SIM cards to remain blocked until they are properly registered.”

Pantami, therefore urged the NCC to redouble its efforts in ensuring that the momentum was sustained.

The actions of the minister and NCC in deactivating unregistered SIM cards, were not unconnected with the increasing rate of kidnapping in the country, where families of kidnapped victims are notified through phone calls with hidden identities that make it difficult for the Police to trace and track the kidnappers because their SIM cards with which the calls were made, were improperly registered with fictitious identity and wrong image capturing.

The situation, which has lingered for too long, gave the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) serious concern, which prompted several meetings between ONSA and the NCC.

The Federal Ministry of Communications is therefore collaborating with the relevant parastatals and security agencies to ensure that no stone is left unturned in ensuring that the security of lives and property in the nation is not compromised through the use of SIM card numbers.

Pursuant to this, it had directed that the profiles of persons linked to crime, aided and abetted by the use of SIM cards, should be promptly provided to the relevant security agencies when requested and a copy be sent to him for monitoring.

Pantami, had assured Nigerians that the ministry would continue to work with relevant parastatals and security agencies in the background to ensure that SIM card numbers are not used as a platform for committing crime.