Nigerians to make available phone IDs in three months says NCC

Nigerians will be required to apply the International Mobile Equipment Identity of their phones to the Nigerian Communications Commission beginning in July, according to the commission.

In the commission’s Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration, the regulatory body stated this.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, has endorsed the NCC’s decision to begin implementing the Device Management System (a Centralised Equipment Identity Register) (retd.).

A portion of the policy said, “Accordingly, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has directed that the Device Management System should be implemented within three months.”

The NCC said, “With the aim to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance National Security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce the rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen mobile phones and other smart devices, one of the means to achieve this is through the deployment of Device Management System.

“The implementation of a Centralised Equipment Identity Register otherwise known as Device Management System will serve as a repository for keeping records of all registered mobile phones’ International Mobile Equipment Identity and owners of such devices.

“IMEIs that have been reported as either stolen or illegal will be shared through the DMS to all the operators and service providers.”

The cell phone’s fingerprint is the IMEI number. It’s a 15-digit number that’s unique to each phone. A phone’s IMEI number can be registered and found regardless of the phone’s cellular number.

According to an expert that helps the Nigerian Police track stolen phones, who asked for anonymity, said, “The IMEI of a phone allows us to track the phone.

“It allows us to track the phone’s information, people the phone calls each day and the house address of the people that call on the phone.”

The expert added, “I can’t disclose how the IMEI of a phone works. It is sensitive information. Leaking the secret helps the people stealing the phone bypass the information.

“Some people already try to change the IMEI of stolen phones, but we know what to do to get the original one.”