NCC arrests five persons over alleged SIM card fraud

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Thursday disclosed that it has arrested five persons for allegedly engaging in the fraudulent registration and sales of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.

The commission said the arrest was carried out by a joint team from the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the commission, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the Wuse area of Abuja.

In a statement issued by its Director of Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde, the commission said the arrested suspects were handed over to the Federal Capital Territory Command of the NSCDC, in Abuja for further investigation.

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

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He said pre-registering a SIM card was an offence punishable under relevant regulations in the telecom sector and constitutes a breach of national security, warning those who engage in the illegal act to desist from it.

Abdu said, “It is criminal and fraudulent to pre-register a SIM card in Nigeria and is an offence punishable under the law.

“Though the Federal Government recently lifted the ban on sale of new SIM cards, it should be noted that proper registration of SIM cards and linking them to National Identity Number before activation has now become a prerequisite.”

He said the enforcement exercise would continue in other locations in the FCT and other states across the country.

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