By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has introduced a new regulatory platform, the Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS), aimed at enhancing digital security and curbing fraud across Nigeria’s telecommunications ecosystem.
The Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during a stakeholder forum on the initiative.
Represented by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, Maida said the platform was designed to address growing vulnerabilities linked to the use of mobile phone numbers, also known as Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Numbers (MSISDNs).
He noted that mobile numbers have evolved into critical digital identifiers, underpinning financial transactions, authentication processes, and access to essential services across multiple sectors of the economy.
However, he warned that this evolution has also introduced significant risks.
“The fraudulent use of churned, recycled, swapped and barred MSISDNs has become a major channel for financial fraud and identity theft. It is eroding public trust in digital platforms,” Maida said.
According to him, TIRMS is a secure, regulatory-backed and cross-sectoral platform that provides a unified approach to managing risks associated with the integrity and use of registered mobile numbers.
He explained that the system would enable service providers to verify mobile numbers flagged for suspicious, dormant, or fraudulent activities before granting access to services, thereby improving accountability and reducing fraud risks.
Maida added that the platform would also enhance digital security by allowing organisations across sectors to proactively validate the status of customers’ mobile numbers.
To support the initiative, the NCC has proposed amendments to the Quality of Service (QoS) Business Rules and the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations.
The proposed changes include mandating telecom operators to notify subscribers at least 14 days before their lines are churned, requiring submission of churned number details to the TIRMS platform within seven days, and establishing a framework for blocking fraudulently registered or misused mobile numbers.
In her remarks, the NCC’s Director of Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, Olatokunbo Oyeleye, emphasised the importance of trust in the digital economy.
“Digital trust is the operating licence of the modern economy. Without it, nothing scales, and with it, everything accelerates,” she said.
Oyeleye noted that TIRMS would strengthen coordination across sectors, improve identity assurance tied to mobile numbers, and significantly reduce fraud associated with recycled and swapped SIMs.
