The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a stern warning to Nigerians regarding the dangers of purchasing and using pre-registered SIM cards.
The Commission stated that the practice is illegal and could lead to severe consequences, including imprisonment.
The NCC reiterated that individuals using pre-registered SIM cards might inadvertently become implicated in serious crimes such as identity theft, financial fraud, kidnapping, and armed robbery.
NCC said the use of these SIM cards compromises the accuracy of consumer information and hampers efforts to track criminals effectively.
The commission in a statement stressed; “Using pre-registered SIM cards undermines the reliability of data collected on consumers, making it challenging for authorities to identify and apprehend the actual perpetrators of crimes.”
The NCC therefore urged Nigerians to avoid buying pre-registered SIM cards and to ensure their SIM cards are properly registered in their names to avoid potential legal repercussions.
In a related development, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said 95 million Nigerians need to enrol for the National Identification Number (NIN).
Head of Corporate Communications at the commission, Kayode Adegoke who disclosed this said for NIMC to meet the 200 million target by 2025, 95 million Nigerians need to register for the NIN.
Data from the National Population Commission (NPC), said the population of Nigeria in 2023 was 223,804,632, a 2.41 per cent increase from 2022. The commission also puts the population in 2022 at 218,541,212, a 2.41 per cent increase from 2021.
