From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Call it a rude shocker and you would not be wrong. But the fact remains that sale of pre-registered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards has continued to boom in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. That was two years after it was outlawed by the Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC), on ground of insecurity.
In fact, residents are worried about the development and called on the Federal Government to smash the gang of illegal SIM card dealers who often masquerade as mobile phone repairers. Observers insist allowing the illicit business to thrive was a veiled way of giving cover to illegality and ultimately weakening the anti-terror war.
From Garki to Wuse, many telecommunications agents (Telcos) are feeding fat from the outlawed business. The NCC had s in 2020, ordered all telecom operators to immediately halt the sale and registration of new SIM cards pending the completion of a thorough audit of the subscribers’ registration database.
Although, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, later lifted the ban, he made it compulsory that people who desire to own new lines must first posses a National Identity Number (NIN) for verification. And the registration must be done in accordance with the Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration, while exiting lines must also be linked to the NIN or risk being disconnected.
He said this was necessary to address the issue of insecurity and protect the citizens from terrorists and bandits who take advantage of the poorly documented SIM cards to perpetuate their evil deeds.
However, Daily Sun gathered that many of the roadside telecomms agents still engage in the sale of pre-registered SIMs where the buyer’s or user’s information such as photographs, biometrics and NIN are not captured. It was further learnt that these agents deploy various means to obtain such SIM cards and sell them at higher prices to desperate customers.
One of the agents around Wuse Market confirmed that pre-registered SIM cards have become hot cakes. He explained that while the SIM card that requires buyer’s information for registration and verification are sold for N1,000, the pre-registered SIM cards are sold for N2,000 and above:
“People that need these kinds of SIM cards are rushing us and begging to buy them at even N5,000. They will soon come here and pack them.”
Another agent around Banex plaza also declined to mention his name. He said he makes more money from sales of pre-registered SIM cards than from phone repairs. He said he sells in bulk to customers from neighbouring states: “While some people buy them for business purposes, other clients are people who are yet to acquire their NIN but are in desperate need of a new SIM card.
“Also, among the pool of pre-registered SIM card consumers are those people who do not have the patience to wait for the registration and capturing process. They opt for the already registered NIN to save time.”
A former sales agent in one of the big telecommunications companies disclosed that most of the roadside agents registered the SIM cards in bulk when they got wind of the proposed ban and have been selling since then: “Sometimes, their personal information or that of unsuspecting friends and customers are used to register multiple SIM cards for sale.
“To protect themselves in a situation where a sold SIM card was used for crimes, the agents usually obtained court affidavits and police reports claiming lost SIM or stolen phone to avoid being implicated and ultimately insulated from prosecution.
“However, some people are completely ignorant of the dangers of buying and using pre-registered SIM cards or using their details to register multiple SIM cards for sale.
“Before this NIN thing, some of them already got the information before the ban on SIM registration. Most of the roadside agents registered SIM cards in bulk and were selling after the ban to people who think that it is still what some of them are still selling.
“I remember when I was working for a telecommunications company and my stand was at the airport. Some people who just got into the country would want to buy a new SIM card and we would tell them there was no SIM card because of the ban.
“But when they go to a roadside telco agent, they get a SIM card. They will then come to our stand and say you people said you could not sell SIM, but we met those roadside people and they sold SIM cards to us.
They are working.
“If you misplace such a SIM card you may not be able to do the retrieval procedure called ‘welcome back’. Also, you are not supposed to use the SIM to register anything very important. You can only use such a SIM card for minor things like calls and data subscription.
“Some of those agents that sell SIM cards along the road, sometimes they use their own NIN to register SIM and sell just to make money.
Also, for corporate SIM registration sometimes, one person in an office can register for about 20 to 50 people using one person’s details. This is usually for a company that needs the SIM for gadgets that its staff will use.
“To a large extent, it is safe to use as long as you are not using it for anything serious. I used to have a lot of free SIM cards. We usually obtain an affidavit and police report stating a missing SIM so that if a crime is committed with the SIM card and it is traced back to us, we can use it to exonerate ourselves.”
Information Communication Technology (ICT) experts expressed security concerns over the development, especially considering the surging cases of cyber crimes in the country. They called on government to immediately investigate the matter and apprehend perpetrators.
Mr Ikechukwu Nnamani, National President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) said: “It is wrong to sell pre-registered SIM card because it creates potential challenges from a security standpoint. If a crime is committed with a pre-registered SIM card, then the one that runs into trouble is the one that pre-registered the SIM. As long as the process to register a SIM card is simple, then it is best everyone register their own SIM cards
“Those doing it are taking a big risk if a SIM that is pre-registered is used for crime. There is no better warning than that.”
Deolu Ogunbanjo, President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) said: “Thank God it is a digital world now. The moment anyone involved in such is traced the person should be sanctioned. Government needs to regulate them, to know which centres are still selling pre-registered SIMs. They must be punished.
“There are implications to selling a pre-registered SIM card. The moment a SIM card is registered with a face and a name, unfortunately that face that was registered is in danger. They may also have a case where the person who purchases it is in danger of whatever evil that SIM card that is registered in his name is used for. Then again, cyber crime continues. They can use it to do some transactions that are unhooked.”
Rogba Adeoye, Executive Secretary, Information Technology Systems and Security Professionals (ITSSP) and past chairman, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), opined that relevant authorities should make sure that pre-registered SIM cards are stopped immediately: “Culprits should be punished and made to pay heavy fines.
“This is because the Nigerian government needs money. If simple laws are made people should follow them. This is why we are shouting about criminal activities while they are the ones aiding it.”
When contacted, NCC Director, Corporate Communications, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, did not respond to WhatsApp and phone calls on what commission was doing to arrest the situation.