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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has explained recent subscriber complaints regarding barred SIM cards. Many users' lines have been deactivated despite having linked their National Identification Numbers (NINs) as required.
Efosa Idehen, NCC Director of Compliance, believes that duplicated NINs are to blame in many cases. He claimed that some third-party agents illegally register SIM cards under the same NIN for multiple subscribers.
When audits uncover duplicates, the rightful NIN owners reclaim them, resulting in SIM deactivation for those who registered fraudulently. Idehen admitted that agents frequently unlawfully duplicate NINs for financial gain.
The NCC intends to address this issue so that SIM card owners can confidently prove they own their registered numbers.
Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, also highlighted efforts to improve mobile number integrity and prevent new users from being assigned numbers after periods of inactivity. This will help to prevent fraud using recycled numbers.
In conclusion, the NCC has linked many of the recent SIM-blocking cases to duplicated NINs from fraudulent registrations. Tighter regulations are being developed to improve SIM ownership integrity and accountability.
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