Mobile telecommunications operators in Nigeria, on Monday, heeded the directive by the Federal government to bar all Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards not linked with National Identification Number (NIN) on their various networks.
The measure, according to the government, is aimed at tackling insecurity, extortions and abductions.
The Federal government, through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, had directed the operators to bar outgoing calls on all unlinked SIM cards in the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in December 2020, had ordered all phone lines to be linked to an identification number to curb rising incidents of abductions in the country.
Officials of some operators confirmed yesterday of receiving letters from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and have since commenced blocking outgoing calls from all unlinked SIMs on their networks.
But concerns still mount over the increase in activities of terrorists and kidnappers who call victims’ families to collect ransoms in millions of naira, despite the linking and verification of NINs to SIMs.
Kidnappers usually call relatives of their victims with unregistered SIM cards, which authorities are unable to trace. The latest rule will mean that about 75 million phone lines that are not linked to NIN would not be able to make calls.
Out of the 198 million phone connections, 125 million SIM cards are said to have been verified and linked to 78 million unique national identity numbers, according to a statement by the NCC.
MTN Nigerian unit is the largest operator with 75 million subscribers, giving it a market share of about 38 per cent. Other major operators include Airtel Africa Plc, Globacom Ltd and 9Mobile.