The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS) portal, an initiative that seeks to curb fraudulent activities in reassignment and recycling of SIM cards, is scheduled to go live in October 2026.
In an email seen by Technext, which contained the key details discussed during the 110th Meeting of the NCC’s Board held on September 9, 2026, it was stated that the TIRMS portal, alongside its associated business rules, will be launched by October.
In March, the NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance their partnership on fraud prevention and consumer data protection by creating the portal. Alongside the regulators, the Joint Committee on Payment Systems and Consumer Protection and the Joint Committee on the TIRMS Portal are also involved in the groundwork.
The primary aim of the portal is to enable banks to access up-to-date information on the status of phone numbers across various services such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom and T2mobile (formerly 9mobile). This includes knowing if a number is active, has been swapped or disconnected, has been reassigned to a new user, or has been flagged for suspicious activity.
“TIRMS will strengthen the governance of telecommunications identities, including mobile numbers, and reduce risks associated with the misuse, reassignment or recycling of such identities, particularly as they are increasingly linked to financial, social and other digital services,” the NCC Board said.
Aside from combating associated data theft and financial fraud from SIM recycling and churning activities, the portal marks a significant step towards Nigeria’s ambition to strengthen its digital economy.
The intervention is also significant at a period when the telecom industry and financial sectors are interconnected and essential to building Nigeria’s digital system and powering business activities.
Also Read: Investigation: How 69,000 daily stolen phones are used to drain bank accounts of Nigerians.
What NCC and CBN are doing with the SIM fraud portal
Within Nigeria and beyond, conversations have surrounded how a purged SIM card is still linked to the previous user’s data, thereby exposing vital information such as Bank Verification Number (BVN), National Identification Number (NIN), bank details and sensitive personal messages.
While Nigerian telecom operators have the right to recycle SIM cards once they have been inactive for 12 months (no financial activity or call usage), Section 28 of the NCC’s draft guidelines states that all recycled SIMs must be thoroughly cleaned of any personal information. This allows a new user to link their own NIN and not receive messages or inherit information from the previous user.
Meanwhile, realities and complaints still show that many recycled phone numbers are not properly purged before being reassigned.
The NCC and CBN want to use TIRMS to address these gaps. With the portal, banks and service providers can check a mobile number’s status in real time before granting access to services. The system then flags phone numbers that have been reassigned, churned, or disconnected.
Deploying the technology helps block fraudsters from using swapped or stolen phone numbers to access bank accounts. It also adds a strong identity layer to digital payments and reduces unauthorised account takeovers.
The NCC board noted that regulatory technology platforms like TIRMS help protect consumers, support lawful digital services, strengthen market integrity and remain consistent with applicable legal, privacy and data protection requirements.
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