Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), on Wednesday in Abuja, arrested three suspects for engaging in pre-SIM card registration in uncontrolled environment.
Addressing the media after its enforcement team raided SIM card resellers in Gwarimpa, an outskirt of Abuja at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the leader of the team, Salisu Abdu, said contravention of the directive attracted N5 million fine per day while refusal to meet the deadline attracted additional N500,000 per day.
The purpose of the enforcement exercise, Abdu said was to stop indiscriminate registering of SIM cards by appointed agents of telecoms companies.
He said: “You are all aware that NCC issued a directive to all mobile operators to from February 1, 2017 provide a controlled environment for registration of SIM cards.
“This controlled environment means a permanent structure that can be traced, a location that can be identified and also that the registration agent manning these centres are expected to have identity as well.”
Since the deadline ended on February 2, Abdu said the team was going to ensure that no any agent does registration of SIM card outside the controlled environment.
He said: “We went to Gwanripa Gate and some other places around the place. All the three we arrested today were doing the registration in a controlled environment; they were doing that under umbrellas and in kiosks.”
According to the team leader, a controlled environment approved by NCC must be clearly delineated for that purpose, adding that it must be a permanent structure and must have the logo of the operator.
It is not NCC’s responsibility to do the publicity on the deadline, as the operators who engaged the agents are supposed to carry out the sensitisation, he said.
“It is the responsibility of the operators to do that because they actually engaged the agents. They should have told them what we have directed them to do. Adequate time has been given to the operators. The directive has been given since November 2016 that is barely four months.
“It is not for the operators to arrest these agents, it is the work of NCC to the enforcement of its regulations and directives. We must ensure that those who breach the directives should face the law.”
While parading the suspects, he said seven registration machines had been impounded pending further thorough investigation before they would be charged to court for the offences.
“At the moment, we have arrested three violators and seven registration machines are impounded. So further investigation would be conducted by the Police and I believe through we will able to trace the dealers who have assigned the agents,” Abdul said.
One of the suspects, Abraham Adeniyi, said he was surprised of his arrest, adding that he had not committed any offence as the machines for the registration exercise belongs to someone else. He said he was doing the business to survive.
