Concerns as Sale of Pre-Registered SIMs Boom in South East

Law enforcement agents are looking elsewhere as the unlawful sale and use of pre.-registered of SIM cards by dealers and sub-dealers of telecommunications products thrive in the South East, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigation has shown.

Involvement in illegal sale and use of pre.-registered SIM card attracts both fine and imprisonment in the country.

This act is fuelling  fears  in  security  and  GSM  regulatory  circles  that  this  will  negate  current efforts to  get  the  true  identity  of  mobile  phone  users  in  Nigeria.

It therefore stands to reason that if a good number of SIM cards that cannot be identified with the rightful owners and users are allowed to circulate in the country, the purpose of the registration could be jeopardised.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek team that visited Umuahia the Abia, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo state  capital noticed that most dealers in telecommunications products are offering subscribers pre-registered SIM at all the outlets visited.

The story was the same. When we refused to buy, they told us to visit any of the operators’ customer care centre where we can get unregistered SIM.

Reacting to this development, Tony Ojobo, director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), frowned at the development and said the law will take its course as soon as their enforcement team gets at those dealers in pre-registered SIM in the South East.

Ojobo noted that the cyber crime act frowns at it as it is a criminal offense punishable by law.

“The unfortunate thing about this is that most of these dealers don’t know the implication of what they are doing. When they are caught by law, some of the offense does not have option of fine it is only imprisonment,” he said.

According to industry experts, there is a need for NCC and the Mobile Network operators to step up education on pre-registered SIM to the populace.

In addition to what the NCC has done, experts confirmed that it is time for both service providers and the regulator (NCC) to collaborate and stop every person bent on derailing the registration process through the sale of pre-registered cards.

Kasis Abone, a telecom expert said that cards that have also been pre-registered by wrong persons also need to be identified and destroyed because when they fall into the wrong hands.

“The consequence could affect the process and have a devastating effect on National security” she added.

The sale of  pre-registered  SIM  cards  is  unethical and  fundamental  crime.  The implications  of  the  sale  of  pre-registered  SIM  cards  cannot  be  over  emphasized, as innocent citizens could be  wrongfully implicated due  to the  indiscriminate  use of the pre-registered SIM cards arising from its sale  to seasoned criminals and no good individuals, seeking  to perpetuate  one  form of crime  or  the  other.

The sale of pre-registered SIM cards is also a prosecutable offence by the Law and can lead to the loss of one’s livelihood and civil liberties.