NIN-SIM linkage and national security: Fresh anxiety as FG disconnects 50m unlinked SIMs Sept 14

• Telecoms operators to disconnect all unlinked SIMs from September 15
• NCC uncovers individuals with over 100, 000 SIM cards
• 153 million SIMs have been successfully linked to NIN
• Commission urges subscribers to complete process to avoid disconnection
• Experts explain why SIM-NIN has not helped in tackling crimes

While the insecurity situation in the country has festered in the last seven years and has led to increased banditry, terrorism and frauds across boards, the Federal Government will from September 15, 2024 block all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) not linked to National Identity Numbers (NINs) in Nigeria.

The FG made this announcement through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday in a statement, where it informed that it has pegged the final deadline date for the linkage of SIMs to NINs to September 14.

This final deadline date is coming amid a rise in the activities of criminals, who still use SIMs, and NINs to perpetrate their criminal activities. The SIM-NIN linkage exercise ab initio, according to the government was to help in addressing criminality, including kidnappers, bandits, and fraudsters, among others. But the extent of success cannot be ascertained.

Indeed, NCC in the statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, to announce the deadline, said Nigeria has made significant progress in the Federal Government’s 2020 policy to link all SIMs to NINs.

The telecoms regulator disclosed that to date, over 153 million SIMs have been successfully linked to a NIN, reflecting an impressive compliance rate of 96 per cent, a substantial increase from 69.7 per cent in January 2024.

Though the NCC claimed that there has been 96 per cent complaint for the linkage, The Guardian checks showed that over 50 million SIMs may be blocked by September if not linked, especially because of the multi-SIMMING nature of Nigerians and use of different devices that are SIM dependent.

As of Q1, 2024, the NCC puts active mobile subscriptions in the country at 219 million and in the statement of yesterday, about 153 million SIMs have been linked, meaning that some 50 million risk disconnection by mid-September. It must also be stated that between the second quarter and now, some lines must have been registered and linked, which would make the exposed SIMs hover between 50 million and 55 million.

It should be noted that under the NIN-SIM linkage policy, an individual is allowed to register a maximum of four SIM cards per network operator. This is exclusive of SIMS that the individual may wish to use in Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as wearable, trackers, among others.

NCC said as the country approaches the final phase of this critical process, it seeks the continued cooperation of all Nigerians to achieve 100 per cent compliance.

The telecoms regulator said the complete linkage of all SIM cards to NINs is essential for enhancing the trust and security of the digital economy.
“By verifying all mobile users, this policy strengthens confidence in digital transactions, reduces the risk of fraud and cybercrime, and supports greater participation in e-commerce, digital banking, and mobile money services. This, in turn, promotes financial inclusion and drives economic growth,” it stated.

NCC revealed that through collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), it uncovered alarming cases where individuals possessed an unusually high number of SIM cards—some exceeding 100,000.

The Commission said it remained committed to working with security agencies and other stakeholders to crack down on the sale of pre-registered SIMs, thereby safeguarding national security and ensuring the integrity of mobile numbers in Nigeria.

“To ensure full compliance with the NIN-SIM linkage policy, the NCC has directed all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to complete the mandatory verification and linkage of SIMs to NINs by September 14, 2024.

“Effective September 15, 2024, the Commission expects that no SIM operating in Nigeria will be without a valid NIN,” it stated.  NCC urged all members of the public, who have not yet completed their NIN-SIM linkage, or who have faced issues due to verification mismatches, to visit their service providers promptly to update their details before the deadline. Alternatively, the approved self-service portals are available for this purpose.

The Commission also reminded the public that the sale and purchase of pre-registered SIMs are criminal offences punishable by imprisonment and fines.
“We encourage citizens to report any such activities to the Commission via our toll-free line (622) or through our social media platforms,” it stated.

Indeed, the acclaimed success of the NIN-SIM linkage has been questioned as regards the extent to which the initiative has helped the country to curb the rising menace of kidnapping, banditry, cyber fraud and the rest in the country.

It is worrisome that despite the sacrifices made by Nigerians to get their SIM registered and linked to NIN, crime levels refused to abate in the country.
At the commencement of the linkage exercise in 2020, the then Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isah Pantami, claimed that the process would enable Nigeria to tackle the growing insecurity in the country, but four years after, insecurity has festered.

Bandits have become more emboldened, kidnapping harmless Nigerians at every slightest opportunity, subsequently smiling to banks after every successful operation without traces, despite the NIN-SIM initiatives.

According to checks, from January and July 2024, no fewer than 2,140 people were kidnapped. An SBM Intelligence report on Nigeria’s security crisis reveals alarming statistics for 2024, showing, 3,277 people kidnapped in 135 mass abduction incidents, resulting in 125 deaths. The North West and North Central regions were hardest hit, with 2,719 kidnappings combined.

It also showed that families of 62 victims, representing 2.89 per cent of the total abductees, paid the sum of N389 million as ransom to secure their release from the kidnappers.

Over the seven months, gunmen reportedly kidnapped 193 people in January, 101 in February, 543 in March, 112 in April, 977 in May, 97 in June, and 117 in July, totaling 2,140.

A total of 667 victims were kidnapped in Zamfara, 454 in Kaduna, 252 in Niger, 183 in Abuja/FCT, 121 in Borno, 117 in Katsina, 60 in Kogi, and 47 in Ogun. Others are Delta (35), Nasarawa (31), Oyo (20), Benue (19), Rivers (13), Ondo (33), Sokoto (15), Ekiti (10), Akwa Ibom (29), Abia (10), Anambra (5), Taraba (6), and Edo (2).

There are believed to be as many as 30,000 kidnappers and bandits operating in more than 100 gangs in the northwest, with the largest able to field as many as 2,000 fighters – roughly the size of two Nigerian army battalions.

Indeed, in the face of increasing banditry and kidnapping around the country, especially the upsurge in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and environs, Pantami recently expressed his worries that security agencies were yet to take advantage of the integration of the NIN-SIM initiative to apprehend bandits and kidnappers, who make calls to victims’ family members for ransom.

In his lamentation, Pantami said, “If it is not being utilised by the relevant institutions in charge of securing lives and property, then I am more frustrated than any person, as I sacrificed my life and ignored all the threats to my life. This is just a point out of 100 on the policy,” the former minister added.

He championed the NIN registration policy under Buhari’s administration saying that “linking citizens’ NIN to their SIMs would be a crucial tool in combating banditry, kidnapping, and phone-related crimes.”

And despite the nightmares Nigerians went through during that integration, it was worth the trouble and Pantami knew that is why he is worried today that the process had yielded no significant change to the activities of banditry and kidnappings.

Incumbent Minister, Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani hoped that the NIN-SIM card linkage will indeed make a difference when he spoke earlier in the year on a television programme, saying “The process of NIN registration and linkage has turned out to be a painful exercise, but the benefits are numerous to the citizens and the Nigerian economy.”

The process, he said “will help the government to provide digital services to the people, and it will offer citizens the opportunity to access such digital services that will be provided by the government. It will also help the government to maintain a high level of security across the country. The government had since realised that most databases are in silos and operate independently of each other, but with the successful linkage of NIN with registered SIM cards, the government will be able to provide a single database of all Nigerians, from where information could be easily accessed and processed in real-time.”

According to him, the government is planning to establish a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) which will allow the government to manage and share data.
“With the Digital Public Infrastructure, the Presidency and the Office of the National Security Adviser can sit in their offices and monitor in real-time, what is going on around the country, with support from emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analytics and Internet of Things (I0Ts),” Tijani said.

Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, explained: “We want to protect the integrity of our mobile numbers. When we don’t use it for a while, it has to be recycled, and this exposes people to fraud.” Maida further noted that the NCC is set to roll out consequences to deter its growth.

“We want to create more awareness about this so that people can understand that there is a window during which if they do not use their line, it can be allocated to another person.

“People are using mobile numbers for a lot of frauds today and this is because there are no consequences. We are coming up with a regulation that will make sure there is a consequence for using your mobile for fraud.”

So many reasons have been adduced as to why Nigeria has not been able to tackle insecurity with NIN-SIM, a security expert, Tola Adegoke, in a chat with The Guardian, said NIN-SIM linkage failed to curb insecurity because it had been politicised.

“This is a political issue. There is no sincerity in the system; if those involved are doing the right thing and ready to curb insecurity arising from SIMs and mobile usage, they know what to do. NCC has the resources, police and other security agents are up to the task, but they have not been given the independence to do their work. They are remotely being controlled,” Adegoke said.

He advised that other ICT tools like CCTV technology, tracking technology, social media and mobile phones should be used to tackle crimes in the country.
He said: “My advice to the government on insecurity is to allow all those responsible for curbing crimes to perform their duties. They should also protect informants and whistle-blowers. As regards NIN-SIM linkage, there should be transparency. The government should collaborate with the service providers for better solutions. The government should be ready to take and use the advice from service providers to accomplish their objectives.”

A retired DSS officer, who proffered anonymity, said it has been difficult to achieve success with the NIN-SIM linkage. According to him, non-availability of required devices, the frequency with which the crimes are committed, the urgency of the other rescue operations, lack of personnel, funds for the mobility of the team for operations, precision assessment, intelligence on the part of the syndicates, personal interest and emotional challenges while in operations.

“Security operatives use the caller’s number to get all the information needed to work in tracking the criminals, but the truth remains that the person calling me from the village might have up to 10 lines. When he calls from the village, he will switch off the line and go to another location within the state or outside the state to call again with another line.

“When you try to track him again, he may go to another location and call with another line. This is how you will continue to track these lines. But when you can’t track them again, we try to understand the people that the criminals communicate with regularly because once they remove that SIM, you won’t be able to locate them again. In every location, there is a mask that controls each call.”