A troubling security loophole is putting more Nigerians at risk of false criminal implication — from recycled phone numbers once used by kidnappers to roadside SIM vendors registering multiple lines with stolen identities.
The latest victim is Mariam Ibrahim, a corps member serving in Akure, who was arrested by police officers from the Force Intelligence Department on October 16, 2025.
Despite having no criminal history, she was detained at the State CID, and her devices — an iPhone 12 Pro Max, an Itel phone and a WiFi router — were confiscated.
Investigators shockingly linked her to phone numbers tied to a deadly kidnapping case from January 2024.
Her ordeal reflects what experts describe as a dangerous fallout from the government’s 2020 policy mandating NIN-SIM linkage — a system meant to improve national security but now exposing innocent citizens to:
✔️ Identity hijack
✔️ Wrongful police arrests
✔️ Criminal profiling due to recycled SIMs
Security analysts warn that until telcos and regulators enforce strict identity protection, database accuracy and SIM recycling transparency, more unsuspecting Nigerians may continue to suffer life-altering consequences for crimes they never committed.
This growing threat raises a crucial question:
Is the NIN-SIM system protecting Nigerians — or putting them in harm’s way? 🤔
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