The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) through its Enforcement Department on Wednesday in Abuja clamped down on some illegal SIM cards registration centres.

The enforcement team visited 3rd Avenue and Galamida Gate in Gwarimpa Estate, and other locations within the FCT to arrest some of those registering SIM cards in uncontrolled environment.

Some people were arrested and seven registration machines were seized and handed over to the police for further investigation.

The NCC Head of Enforcement, Mr Salisu Abdul, during the exercise, said that it was carried out to ensure that NCC directive to all mobile operators to provide a controlled environment for registration of SIMs was carried out.

Abdul said that NCC gave the directive to operators since November 2016 and set a deadline of Feb. 1, for compliance.

“A controlled environment means a permanent structure which can be traced and a location that can be identified and all registration agents manning the structures must have identities as well.”

He said that the controlled environment should be a permanent structure, a building that must be traced and not umbrella or kiosk.

According to him, in case there are incidents such as armed robbery or kidnapping due to pre-registration of SIM cards, those under umbrellas or kiosk cannot be traced.