Five suspects have been arrested for an alleged fraudulent pre-registration and sale of Subscriber Identity Module(SIM) cards in the Wuse area of Abuja.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, April 22, by the Nigerian Communications Commission’s Director, Public Affairs, Ikechukwu Adinde, the arrest was effected by a joint team of the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the NCC, Operatives of the Department of State Service(DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The Commission said the suspects have been handed over to the NSCDC Federal Capital Territory Command, Wuse, Abuja for further investigation with respect to the allegations leveled against them.
According to the NCC’s Head of Enforcement, Salisu Abdu, who led the joint enforcement exercise, the operation was part of the routine activities embarked upon by the Commission to rid the industry of criminal elements engaging in fraudulent registration of SIM cards.
Abdu noted that pre-registering a SIM card was 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 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” Abdu said.
He warned those engaged in the unlawful registration of SIM cards to desist from the illegal act, adding that the Commission would continue to collaborate with relevant law enforcement agencies in its routine enforcement activities.
He mentioned that the enforcement exercise would continue in other locations in the FCT and other States across the country.
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