The Federal Government has blocked 2,277,311 improperly registered mobile telephone lines across the country, the Ministry of Communications said on Saturday.
They were among the 9.2 million lines which the authorities said earlier in the month to be improperly registered.
The ministry said 6,830,249 of the lines were re-validated by September 25, the deadline of an ultimatum on the regularisation of the lines.
The deactivation of the lines followed a directive issued to the Nigeria Communications Commission by the Minister of Communications, Dr. Isa Pantami.
The Deputy Director/Head Information/Press and PR Unit of the ministry, Mrs Philomena Oshodin, said in a statement in Abuja that “Pantami has reiterated the need for all improperly registered SIM cards to remain blocked until they are properly registered.”
The minister directed that “the profiles of persons linked to crime, aided and abetted by the use of SIM cards, should be promptly provided to the relevant security agencies when requested and a copy is sent to him for monitoring.”
Pantami commended NCC and the telecoms operators for working hard to carry out the directive in record time.