SIM Card Registration in Nigeria
SIM card registration in Nigeria has been an area of contention as many people have simply ignored a 2002 law requiring registration. However, the issue keeps coming up due to an increase in violent crime and kidnapping within the country where the criminals demand a ransom via unregistered mobile phones which therefore cannot be traced.
For this reason, the National Assembly has passed a N6 billion proposal that would seek to expand SIM card registration by NCC within the country. The government has also recently required all mobile carriers to document certain information about new subscribers in an effort to combat crime. Some service providers, like MTN and ECONET, had previously required registration of SIM cards but ended up dropping the requirement as it cost them too much business to competitors.