The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has warned Nigerians against patronizing pre-registered SIM cards. The Commission warned that this as act could attract dire consequences.
This was disclosed in a statement posted by the Commission on its platform on Friday, May 17.
NCC stated that the use of pre-registered SIM cards could not only compromises the accuracy of consumer information but also pose a great threat to security of the country.
The statement reads in part: “Buying pre-registered SIM cards is criminal. And may lead to imprisonment, implication in identity theft, financial fraud, kidnapping and armed robbery.”
NCC further explained that using a pre-registered SIM card undermined the reliability of data collected on consumers. Thereby making it challenging for authorities to identify and apprehend the actual perpetrators of crimes.
According to the Commission, the warning aims to educate the public on the risks associated with pre-registered SIM cards. NCC, therefore, encourage the public to comply with legal guidelines to enhance national security.
The Commission urged the citizens to follow the proper procedures for registering SIM cards to avoid any legal consequences.
Recall that NCC had directed all telecommunications companies in the country to link their subscribers to their SIM cards with their National Identification Numbers, NIN.
According to the Federal Government, the NIN initiative, which started in December 2020, was a move to streamline the identification process and to combat scams.
To achieve this, therefore, the NCC has made the linkage compulsory. It directed all telecommunications operators to enforce complete network barring on all phone lines that failed to link their SIM to their NINs.
Meanwhile, the NCC has extended the deadline for linking SIM cards to NIN (last phase) to July 31, 2024. This was up from April 15.
In doing this, the Commission noted that this extension applies to subscribers with more than four SIMs.
source: Vanguard
