On Thursday, the Commissioner of Police for the FCT Command, CP Benneth Igweh, paraded six suspects accused of selling pre-registered SIM cards to kidnappers and other criminal elements within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Additionally, eight other suspects were presented for various criminal offences, including kidnapping, trans-border armed robbery, gun running, and car theft.
Addressing the media, CP Igweh revealed that 1,100 registered SIM cards, two network jammers, seven firearms, six vehicles, three registration machines, two fingerprint machines, and one Gionee phone were recovered from the 14 suspects as exhibits.
“On May 29, 2024, at about 3:00 pm, a team of detectives from the State Intelligence Department (SID) led by ACP Mohammed S. Baba, acting on credible intelligence, lured and arrested six suspects: Ndubuisi Okeh, John Jock, Nafiu Tijani (a dispatcher), Nasiru Sulaiman, John Njoku, and Suleiman Musa,” said the CP.
The suspects specialize in selling pre-registered SIM cards to criminals, allowing them to operate under false identities to avoid being traced or tracked. These SIM cards are sold for three to five thousand naira each.
CP Igweh explained, “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 obtain the details of unsuspecting residents who buy and register SIM cards simultaneously.”
In total, over one thousand, one hundred pre-registered SIM cards, three registration machines, and other gadgets were recovered from the suspects.
“The suspects have all confessed to the crime and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation,” CP Igweh added.
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