NCC Says Sale of Pre-registered SIM Cards Criminal

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has described as criminal, the sale of pre-registered SIM cards by some vendors in the country.

Mr. Okechukwu Itanyi, executive commissioner, Stakeholders Management, stated this in Ekpoma, the headquarters of Esan West local government of Edo state at the 14th edition of consumer town hall meeting.

Itanyi explained that the commission had begun the clamp down on erring vendors across the country through its compliance monitoring department.

While appealing to subscribers to desist from the purchase of such SIM cards, he urged them to report suspected cases to law enforcement agencies for apprehension and prosecution.

“It is an offence to sell pre-registered cards. It is criminal. NCC has been going round; we have a department called Compliance Monitoring Department.

“This department has been going round the country to apprehend offenders. We urge subscribers to report anybody selling pre-registered SIM cards to the nearest police station. The person will be apprehended and prosecuted,” he said.

While reiterating the commission’s resolve to protect consumers from perceived fraudulent practice by telecommunications service providers, Itanyi, who was represented by Dr. Femi Atoyebi, deputy director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, explained that the meeting was aimed at forming a synergy among the key players in the sector.

He said that the theme of the town hall meeting, “Empowering Rural Telecom Consumers” was initiated by NCC to bring together the stakeholders under one platform to discuss and proffer solutions in the interest of the nation’s economy.