NCC Raids Lagos, Arrests Peddlers Of Pre-Registered Sims

Scores Arrested As NCC Raids Lagos Over Sale Of Pre-Registered Sims

The Nigerian communications Commission (NCC), has revealed that some suspects involved in the peddling of pre-registered Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM) cards were arrested in Lagos, at the weekend, after a three-day raid on some identified hot spots for the sale of pre-registered SIM cards.

Speaking on the development, the Head, Enforcement Unit of NCC, Salisu Abdu, admitted that the menace is huge, ‘’but our fight against pre-registered SIM cards scam is yielding results.’’

Abdu noted that there have also been several complaints also from the office of the National Security Adviser about the prevalence of pre-registered SIM cards at some locations in Lagos, “as we moved to some identified areas.’’

He further revealed that “we visited Computer village, markets in Ikorodu and we also in Bariga with the objective of identifying where this sale of pre-registered SIM cards is on-going.

Fortunate enough, it is only in Computer village we were able to buy only one Airtel SIM card from a mobile agent.”

“On the second day of the exercise, with the help of the Lagos Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), some arrests were made. We went to two locations. We went to Alaba International market, and Orile market along Badagry Expressway. In Alaba market, we purchased a pre-registered SIM card from an agent, a Globacom agent and in Orile we found pre-registered SIM cards on a market woman, who, in fact, was seated with a lot of SIM cards being sold to members of the public. It’s that same cards that criminals are using to commit a lot of crime and you can now understand why it had sometimes been difficult for security operatives in the course of their investigations of criminal offences to identify people who have actually committed such crimes.

“The last day of the raid of phone markets in Lagos was concentrated largely on the Saka Tinubu market in Victoria Island where two more persons who were found selling pre-registered SIM cards were picked up by the combined team of NSCDC and NCC officials.’’

Abdu said investigations are currently on-going to know where the agents are getting the pre-registered SIM cards.

“I’m sure the old woman and some of the persons arrested are not the ones doing the registration, there must be somebody who is supplying the SIM cards to them. We will need to find out the people who are behind it.”