The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has responded to widespread criticism over the inability to track kidnappers despite the availability of technological measures like SIM card registration, National Identity Number (NIN), and the communications satellite NigComSat-1R.
This comes as many Nigerians express frustration that criminals continue to operate freely, making ransom calls without being apprehended, even though several measures are in place.
These measures include the SIM registration exercise initiated by the NCC in 2011, the NIN enrolment by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in 2015, and the NIN-SIM linkage exercise conducted in 2020. These initiatives were aimed at strengthening national security by preventing the criminal use of mobile phones, enhancing the verification process, and supporting secure access to government services.
Despite these efforts, kidnappings and other criminal activities continue unabated, leading to questions about the effectiveness of these measures or whether there is a deeper issue at play within the security apparatus. A notable case was reported in Zamfara State, where a victim, Mallam Yushau Jangeme, claimed that local security agents failed to act on the phone numbers he provided after being kidnapped.
In defense, a top official from the NCC explained that while they have worked hard to clean up the SIM ownership database, including barring unverified lines, the actual tracking and apprehension of kidnappers is the responsibility of security agencies.
A top official at the Commission who craved anonymity told Saturday Vanguard: “Yes, we were adamant on the deadline of the NIN-SIM linkage because of several dangerous security trends we discovered. Our resolve hinged on the need to close in on the chaos of untoward ownership of multiple SIM cards with unverified NIN details. We had instances where a single individual had over 10,000 lines linked to his NIN. In some cases, we have seen a single person with 1,000 lines, some 3,000 plus lines. What were they doing with these lines?
“From our interim findings, the owners of these lines did not purchase them for decent purposes or to undertake legitimate activities. We gave them enough time to make the decision of which of their lines they wanted to keep and discard the others. They did not. All lines in this category with unverified NINs were barred.
“On the issue of kidnappers making calls to victims’ families without being traced, I don’t think that power is residual in our hands. What we know is that whatever support the security agents have sought from us, as far as the national security question is concerned, we have always given to the best of our ability. Our duty is not to track and arrest people who make calls rightly or wrongly the source added.
