The Minister of Territorial Administration (Minat) brought together today in Yaoundé the directors general of Orange Cameroon, MTN Cameroon and that of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (Antic) to inform them government concerns about the seriousness of acts of insecurity perpetrated by unidentified SIM card owners. According to Minister Paul Atanga Nji, around 450 unidentified SIM cards are in circulation, mainly in the northern regions of Adamaoua and the Far North.
These SIM cards were used by terrorists to obtain more than 300 million FCFA in the form of ransoms, blackmail and outright threats. As proof, he cites the fact that every time a terrorist gang is dismantled, about 15 or more unidentified SIM cards are on its members.
A worrying situation for the government, which led Minister Atanga Nji to remind telecommunications operators of the regulations governing obtaining a SIM card. This requires applicants to obtain a SIM card to be identified individually. For the Minister of Territorial Administration, telephone operators are thus guilty of laxity in identifying subscribers.
The Minister of Territorial Administration thus orders its operators to comply with the regulations within 60 days. These must provide a complete list of those who sell their products in the crisis regions of the North West and South West and those who operate Mobile Money and Orange Money kiosks.
THERE