Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has announced a renewed crackdown on pre-registered SIM cards, citing their role in enabling fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and other cyber-crime activities. NCC Executive Director Aminu Maida said the commission will intensify inspections, penalise operators involved in illegal SIM sales, and strengthen collaboration with security agencies and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to create a more transparent and accountable enforcement system.
Nigeria has repeatedly attempted to clean up its SIM registration ecosystem, including linking all SIM cards to National Identification Numbers (NINs). But with over 220 million mobile subscribers—nearly matching the country’s population—the problem persists, partly due to informal resellers who continue to offer pre-activated SIM cards to customers seeking convenience or anonymity.
The NCC says the new measures will also help curb related abuses such as call masking—where virtual numbers are used to hide a caller’s identity—and interconnect bypass fraud (refiling). The regulator believes eliminating pre-registered SIM cards is essential to strengthening national cybersecurity and restoring integrity in the mobile market.
