The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has proposed blocking mobile numbers linked to fraudulent activities across Nigeria, as part of efforts to strengthen digital security and restore public trust in the nation’s telecommunications ecosystem.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Mr Aminu Maida, disclosed this on Thursday during a stakeholders’ consultative forum on the Telecoms Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) platform in Abuja.
Represented by the Executive Commissioner of Stakeholder Management, Mrs Rimini Makama, Mr Maida said the move is in response to the growing misuse of mobile numbers, particularly those that are churned, recycled, swapped, or improperly registered, which have increasingly become tools for financial fraud and identity theft.
He explained that the commission is introducing a regulatory-backed, cross-sectoral platform known as TIRMS to address these vulnerabilities.
The platform, he said, will enable service providers across telecommunications, financial services, and other critical sectors to verify mobile numbers flagged for suspicious or criminal activities before granting access to services.
As part of the initiative, the EVC said the commission is proposing amendments to existing Quality of Service (QoS) and subscriber registration regulations to institutionalise stricter controls around mobile number management.
“To strengthen the regulatory foundation for the TIRMS platform, the Commission has proposed targeted amendments to the Quality of Service (QOS) Business Rules and Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations Business Rules.
“These amendments will, among other things, require operators to notify affected subscribers at least 14 days before any line is churned, mandate the submission of all churn number details to the TIRMS platform within seven days of completion of the churn process, and establish a new framework for the blocking of fraudulently registered or fraudulently utilized MSISDN’s. These changes are designed to promote transparency, protect subscribers, and ensure regulatory clarity in support of the platform’s objective.”
“The eventual implementation of the TIRMS Platform will be geared towards collaboration with key stakeholders, relevant regulators and law enforcement outfits. This approach will ensure a one-government approach and create the much-needed bridge across sectoral barriers and ecosystems,” he added.
In his remarks, NCC’s Director of Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, Mr Olatokunbo Oyeleye, described digital trust as the foundation of the modern economy.
“As rightly noted, digital trust is the operating licence of the modern economy. Without it, nothing scales and with it everything accelerates. For our sector, this trust must be embedded across the entire value chain.”