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NCC arrests five suspects over SIM registration scam

By Adeyemi Adepetun
23 April 2021   |   4:05 am
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has arrested five suspects for allegedly engaging in fraudulent registration and sale of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has arrested five suspects for allegedly engaging in fraudulent registration and sale of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the Commission, Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Tuesday in Wuse, Abuja.

NCC’s Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, stated that the suspects were subsequently handed over to the NSCDC Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Wuse, for further investigation.

Commenting on the operation, NCC’s Head of Enforcement, Salisu Abdu, who led the exercise, said it was part of the routine activities of the commission to rid the industry of criminal elements engaging in fraudulent registration of SIM cards.

He noted pre-registering a SIM card as an offence punishable under relevant regulations in the telecom sector and constitutes a breach of national security.

“It is criminal and fraudulent to pre-register a SIM card in Nigeria and it is an offence punishable under the law. Though the Federal Government recently lifted the ban on sale of SIM cards, it should be noted that proper registration of SIM cards and linking them to National Identification Number (NIN) before activation has now become a prerequisite,” he said.

Abdu warned those who are engaged in the unlawful registration of SIM cards to desist from the illegal act, noting that the commission would continue to collaborate with relevant law enforcement agencies in its routine enforcement activities to rid the industry of individuals, who have resolved to contravene SIM registration regulations.

The enforcement activities will continue in other locations across the FCT and other states of the country.

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