Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jibril, Emir of Nasarawa, has called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to check the rising use of unregistered SIM cards in Nasarawa state.
The Emir said that criminals now use unidentified mobile numbers to threaten the lives of his subjects.
Jibril, who stated this at the Consumer Conservation of the NCC, held at the ASUP Secretariat, Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa State, said his subjects are under serious threats by criminal elements in the area who now use improperly registered Sim cards to threaten them and also extort ransom from their victims.
The Emir who was represented by Ibrahim Ladan, said that the matter has become an issue of public concern.
He appealed to the NCC to expedite action in the ongoing verification of improperly registered Sim cards which have turned to a tool in the hands of criminals to make life miserable to innocent Nigerians.
He also urged the Commission to design a system whereby any customer threatened will be able to call and trace the person that threatened their lines immediate and report to the police.
The Emir said that ‘‘NCC should know that their lines are being used to threaten people. That they are going to kill them, they are going to take for ransom for money, they are going to hound them.
NCC should know that this is worrying about her customers and everybody in Nigerian.
They are registering customers for efficient use of the Sim cards but registration may not be enough if somebody calls you and threatens you that he is going to kill you if you do not give him money how you trace it.
‘‘They should design a system where the threatened customer will be able to call and trace the person that threatened your line immediately and report to the police.’’ He added.
Mr Lamido Umar, principal manager North Central Zone, NCC, said the commission as a consumer-centric regulator holds telecom consumers at higher esteem and as had rolled out programmes to empower them on their rights and responsibilities.
On her part, Ifeoma Ifezulike, principal manager, Consumer Protection and Advocacy Consumer Affairs Bureau, NCC advised the consumers to take advantage of the shortcode 2442 to address the issues of unsolicited SMS and the NCC toll-free line 622 to report back to the commission where their complaints were not attended to.
She said NCC took it up itself to monitor the activities and operations of service providers in order to serve the consumers better.
She noted that the issue of unsolicited SMS was prevalent in the past but with the introduction of the shortcodes and other mechanism put in place, the trend has gone down as a result of the regulatory alertness of the NCC which treat the consumer as king.
She urged them to avail themselves with all the available tools to deal with any complaint or issue that arises from service providers.
On Pre-registered Sim Cards, she warned the public to stay clear from them saying that the NCC has been arresting those that buy or sell such Sim cards, insisting that ignorant of the law will not be taken as an excuse. She further pleaded with them not to buy only properly registered Sim cards by going to approved shops by the service providers so that fraudsters will not take advantage of them.
