NCC Introduces TIRMS Platform to Curb SIM-Related Fraud

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced plans to launch the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS), a new regulatory platform designed to combat SIM-related fraud and enhance trust in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, unveiled the initiative during a stakeholder forum in Abuja, highlighting that the Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) — commonly known as a SIM or mobile number — has become a critical identifier for financial transactions, digital authentication, and access to services.

Read Also:

• Flutterwave CEO, Elumelu, Ovia Lead Nigeria’s Power Push for UK Capital Dominance
• Tinubu Expands CNG Initiative to Include Electric Vehicles

“The fraudulent use of churned, recycled, swapped and barred MSISDNs has become a significant vector for financial fraud and identity theft,” Maida said. “It is in direct response to these challenges that the commission has initiated the TIRMS platform.”

TIRMS is designed as a secure, regulatory-backed system to manage risks associated with mobile numbers across Nigeria’s communications networks. Key features include:

• Verification of mobile numbers linked to suspicious, dormant, or fraudulent activities.
• Improved accountability for mobile number usage.
• Reduction of fraud risks before access to services is granted.
• Strengthened digital security through cross-sector verification systems.

The platform allows institutions to validate customer mobile numbers proactively before completing transactions or granting access. To support TIRMS, the NCC plans to amend its Quality of Service Business Rules and the Registration of Communications Subscribers framework, including requirements for telecom operators to notify subscribers before churned numbers are reassigned and to submit details of churned lines within seven days.

“Digital trust is the operating licence of the modern economy. Without it, nothing scales, and with it, everything accelerates,” said Olatokunbo Oyeleye, Director of Cybersecurity and Internet Governance at the NCC. She emphasized that TIRMS will improve coordination across sectors, strengthen identity assurance, and prevent fraud linked to recycled or compromised SIMs.