The police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have arrested six men suspected of selling registered SIM cards to kidnappers and other criminals. FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, announced the arrests while parading the suspects on Thursday.
The arrests were made by a team of detectives from the State Intelligence Department (SID) led by ACP Mohammed S. Baba. The suspects have been identified as Ndubuisi Okeh, Nafiu Tijjani, Nasiru Suleiman, John Njoku, and Suleiman Musa.
CP Igweh explained that the suspects sold registered SIM cards to criminals for between N3,000 and N5,000 per card.
He said, “The criminals operated with other people’s identities to avoid being traced or tracked through their own details.”
He further elaborated on the criminals’ tactics, saying, “It may interest you to know that four different numbers could be registered under a single NIN, hence these criminals employ street SIM card vendors to get the details of unsuspecting residents who buy SIM cards and register at the same time.”
The police recovered over 1,100 registered SIM cards, three registration machines, and other gadgets from the suspects.
This crackdown is part of ongoing efforts to curb criminal activities in the FCT. CP Igweh stressed the importance of vigilance among residents, urging them to be cautious when purchasing and registering SIM cards. The police are continuing their investigations to dismantle the network of illegal SIM card vendors and their criminal clients.