Nigeria’s NCC targets identity fraud with SIM recycling database

Nigeria’s telecom regulator has developed a new portal to collect and share data on recycled numbers, as part of a broader effort to protect subscribers from fraud and identity risks associated with reassigned phone numbers. 

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) created the Telecom Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) Portal in March 2024, in collaboration with telecom operators. With the portal, the regulator hopes to prevent misuse when numbers change hands and to reinforce trust in digital identity systems.

According to a regulatory guideline seen by TechCabal, the portal willgo live after a 21-day consultation period starting in late February 2026 and concluding by the end of March 2026. 

The NCC wants to monitor recycled numbers and share relevant data with telecom operators, reducing the risk of SIM exploitation in a critical digital ecosystem where phone numbers serve as critical identifiers across banking, social platforms, and government services.

Once active, the NCC will host the portal, which will be accessible to key regulators and authorised institutions, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Securities and Exchange Commission, pension authorities, the National Identity Management Commission, security agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.

The regulator is finalising a Memorandum of Understanding with the CBN  to get the platform working. It noted that varying Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements across sectors must be harmonised for effective implementation.

How SIM recycling works

Numbering resources, including telephone numbers and short codes, underpin modern telecommunications. In Nigeria, the NCC regulates the telecom industry under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 and its Numbering Regulations. Globally, the International Telecommunication Union under Recommendation governs them through Recommendation E.164, which standardises numbering formats and promotes efficient, equitable access across borders.

Because each number must conform to a fixed length and format, numbering resources are inherently scarce. This finite supply means operators must ensure optimal utilisation, which often involves recycling inactive numbers, a process known as churning. While operationally necessary, the practice has increasingly raised concerns about fraud, identity mix-ups, and consumer protection.

Under Section 128 of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, the NCC manages and allocates numbering resources on behalf of the Federal Government, assigning number ranges to licenced operators across mobile, fixed, and special services in a manner that promotes competition, innovation, and consumer protection in line with global best practices.

The recycling framework itself is governed by three principal instruments: the Numbering Regulations 2008; the Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations 2024 and its accompanying Business Rules; and the Registration of Communication Subscribers Regulations 2022, and its Business Rules.

According to the QoS Regulations 2024, a mobile number (MSISDN) is classified as inactive if it has not recorded any Revenue Generating Event (RGE), such as outgoing or incoming calls or SMS, charged USSD sessions, internet calls, or other income-generating activity, for 180 days. 

If inactivity continues for another 180 days, bringing the total to 360 days, the number becomes eligible for churning. At that point, mobile network operators, which lease number ranges from the Federal Government through the NCC, may reassign the line to a new subscriber.

However, the rules are explicit: no active number should ever be reassigned. Only numbers that have remained inactive for a full 360 days may be recycled. 

Where inactivity is caused by a network provider’s fault that prevents RGEs, the subscriber is not supposed to lose the number. As an added safeguard, the Commission provides a “line parking” option under the QoS Business Rules, allowing subscribers who anticipate a period of inactivity to park their numbers for up to one year at minimal cost, preventing them from being classified as inactive and subsequently churned.

In practice, however, the digital economy has transformed how phone numbers are used. Today, a mobile number is an anchor of digital identity linked to banking profiles, investment accounts, pensions, social media platforms, and national identity databases.

When numbers are recycled, problems can arise. New users may receive text messages intended for previous owners. In more serious cases, individuals have reported being investigated for offences allegedly committed by former users of reassigned numbers. Others have faced difficulties accessing services because their newly acquired number was still linked to legacy accounts.

These developments have exposed the complex interaction between telecom churn policies and identity management systems across sectors. The recycling of numbers now presents security and integrity risks that extend well beyond telecom networks.

In one notable case, the Department of State Services reportedly arrested an individual in 2020 and detained him for 10 weeks without trial simply because he purchased an MTN SIM card that previously belonged to the daughter of former president Muhammadu Buhari.

To address these risks, the NCC is updating its regulatory framework to support the deployment of the TIRMS portal. According to the guideline, a consultation process on proposed amendments to the Business Rules of the Quality of Service Regulations 2024 and the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations 2022 is already underway and is expected to conclude by the end of March 2026.

One major proposed reform is the introduction of mandatory notifications to subscribers whose numbers are about to be churned. Under the revised rules, line owners will be alerted through alternative contact channels within a specified timeframe before disconnection, allowing them to reactivate or park their lines.

The amendments will also establish a formal regulatory framework for warehousing churned numbers within TIRMS, define controlled-access protocols for relevant sectors, and create clear procedures for blocking numbers implicated in fraudulent activity.