The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, has issued a 60-day ultimatum to mobile telecommunication giants, Orange and MTN, for allowing criminal activities to thrive through unregistered SIM cards.
Addressing senior officials of the companies in a closed-door meeting held on Monday, April 8, in Yaounde, Minister Atanga Nji expressed concerns over the proliferation of unregistered SIM cards in circulation, which are believed to be facilitating criminal activities, particularly in the Anglophone Regions and the Far North, where armed conflicts rage.
According to statistics, alleged separatist fighters in the North West and South West Regions received ransom payments totaling FCFA 320 million.
It is not only in the Anglophone Regions but also in the Far North, where statistics indicate that FCFA 73 million was received by kidnappers as ransom.
This money was collected in just over one year.
“The security of the state is at stake. If your customers cannot be identified, then they have no business with you,” Paul Atanga Nji said.
“You will have to do your things properly; otherwise, you will face serious sanctions. We cannot jeopardise the security of the state,” he added.
The Minister accused telecom operators of neglecting their responsibility to address the issue of unregistered subscribers using SIM cards provided by their companies to perpetrate crimes and demand ransoms.
He noted that despite the prevalence of fake registrations, telecom companies have failed to take adequate measures to mitigate the risks posed by unverified subscribers.
While the Minister focused on national security concerns, he did not provide detailed information on how ransom payments were facilitated, whether through mobile money, airtime, or SMS directives.
In response to criticisms about poor service quality, including unauthorised deductions, expensive data bundles, and network instability, Minister Atanga Nji refrained from addressing these concerns, shifting the focus solely to security considerations.
