Telecom
NCC Shuts Down Illegal Telecom Companies

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday that it has clamped down on three companies for operating illegally in the country’s telecommunications market.
Mr Chukwuemeka Obi, principal manager, NCC’s Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department, made this known to newsmen after two days enforcement in Lagos.
Obi said that the action followed the reports of its surveillance team.
According to him, the affected companies are Axon Integrated Services, located on Diya Street, Gbagada; Survenet Integrated Ltd situated on Bayo Ajayi Street, Agidingbi and Strem Concepts at Shaha Akowonjo.
“We got information that some companies in the telecommunication sector in Lagos are operating illegally without the required authorisation,’’ he said.
Obi said that the three companies were into services such as installation of masts, towers and illegal vehicle tracking.
He said that Axon Integrated was licensed by the NCC to sell mobile phones and Private Automatic Branch eXchange (PABX) equipment sales.
Obi said that the company had extended its into installations, which its current licence does not cover.
“We have given Axon one month within which it should come to NCC headquarters in Abuja to regularise its operations and obtain the required authorisation, failure of which will attract serious sanctions,’’ Obi said.
He said that Strem Concepts had been operating illegally without any operating licence from the regulatory body.
“Strem was found to be operating Automated Vehicle Tracking Services (AVTS) illegally.
“In our earlier enforcement in Lagos, Strem was found guilty for operating illegally.
“We sealed the company, asking them to come to the commission’s office in Abuja to get an official licence to operate, and the licensing process has started, but not yet concluded.
“Unfortunately, Strem went ahead to unseal itself without the commission’s permission.
“We have come again to seal it, confiscated its radio equipment and asked it to report to Abuja to finalise its licensing process,’’ Obi said.
In respect of Survenet, he said that the company was guilty of illegal installation of towers and other services, which it was not authorised to venture into.
Obi, however, said that for the two days that the enforcement lasted, Survenet’s office was locked.
He said the enforcement team would ensure that the long arm of the law definitely caught up with the company.
Obi said that the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, under Section 31, stipulates that no firm should undertake communications services without prior authorisation of the commission.
He said that a surveillance conducted by the commission showed that a number of companies in Lagos were offering communications services without requisite authorisation, hence, the clampdown.
Obi said that the enforcement was to prosecute the perpetrators or ask them to regularise their licensing with the commission, as the case may be.
According to him, the NCA 2003 has been developed and categorised some telecommunications services under certain category of licences for individuals who wants to undertake communications services.
“More or less, they are into installation of masts, setting up equipment and even radio that go beyond the scope of the licences and authorisation they have.
“We have those that also use spectrum illegally; we want to assure them that we will go after them to ensure that the culprits are brought to book,’’ Obi said.
He also warned companies in the sector to follow the legal process for obtaining licence to operate in any segment of the country.
Obi said that NCC would continue to ensure that a level-playing field was created for all operators, while ensuring that the nation was not short-changed by any illegal player.
Telecom
ngCERT Issues High Alert to Nigerians Using Android Phones

Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.
The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.
According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.
Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.
It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.
This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files
“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”
In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.
Here’s what users should be doing now:
Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.
Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.
Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.
Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.
If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.
ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.
“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.
This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.
Telecom
MTN and Ecobank Launch Chess Championship to Empower Nigeria’s Youth

MTN Nigeria is set to host the National Schools Team Chess Championship, Nigeria’s largest inter-school chess competition, scheduled to take place from June 26th to 28th, 2025, at the Ecobank Pan African Center in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The championship, organised in partnership with Ecobank and the Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), aims to promote intellectual development, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among young Nigerians, while also identifying and nurturing future chess champions.
The championship is open to primary, secondary, and tertiary level students, and this year’s edition will host an impressive 1,600 students from 400 schools across 36 states and the FCT.
The competition will feature team-based play, with each team comprising four players from the same school. A significant prize pool of over N40 million is at stake, with winning schools also having the invaluable opportunity to represent Nigeria internationally.
Onyinye Ikenna Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at MTN Nigeria, expressed the company’s commitment to the initiative, stating, “Our investment is driven by our commitment to fostering youth development, just as our shared value initiative.
“By supporting, we not only contribute to the growth but also engage with the younger demographic in a meaningful way, as we believe we are good together”.
MTN’s sponsorship of the National Schools Team Chess Championship is a natural extension of its long-standing dedication to empowering young people through various initiatives in sports, education, and skill development, including programs like MTN Champs and MTN Campus Invasion.
The company aims to establish itself as the leading driver of youth empowerment, education, and strategic thinking through chess in Nigeria.
The event will also feature the presence of Tunde Onakoya, a renowned chess master and inspiration, who will join the championship week to share his experiences and further inspire the young participants.
His involvement underscores the profound impact strategic thinking can have on transforming lives and building dreams.
Telecom
NCC and Stakeholders Unite to Bridge Nigeria’s Rural Connectivity Gap

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has collaborated with the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders towards addressing challenges confronting rural network connectivity in Nigeria.
The collaboration resulted in a two-day workshop hosted in Abuja from June 3-4, 2025, to explore policy framework for enabling community networks towards bridging the digital divide and accelerating socio-economic development in Nigeria’s underserved and unserved communities.
The forum brought together regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign investors, among others, to examine policy and regulatory barriers, explore innovative funding mechanisms, ensure sustainable renewable solutions and strengthen collaboration with stakeholders.
Addressing participants at the workshop, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the workshop is important to bridging the digital divide in Nigeria and foster inclusive social economic development.
“This workshop is an opportunity for all of us to harness the expertise, insights, and experiences of diverse stakeholders present here which includes the regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign providers to address the critical challenges such as affordable devices, access, licensing, spectrum allocation, infrastructure development, sustainability and institutional monitoring,” said Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC at the event, Abraham Oshadami.
Maida said the workshop demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to advancing digital inclusion, particularly in underserved and unserved areas. “At NCC, we recognise the transformative potential of community center networks in achieving this important goal,” he said.
The EVC said NCC was committed to “this journey and views this workshop as a catalyst for meaningful change,” stating that the expertise, perspectives and commitments will shape the future where every Nigerian, regardless of his or her status, will have meaningful access to opportunities from digital connectivity.
In her remarks, Co-manager of the Association for Progressive Communications’ Local Network (LocNet) initiative, Kathleen Diga, noted that the collaboration was to tackle identified hindrances to digital inclusion. “This is a space where we can be open and exchange ideas of possibilities, opportunities that will remain in realising values of a diversified ecosystem.”
Diga said, “I believe this workshop presents a moment in time that we can explore the bottom-up approach in local communities, small social enterprises, corporative among others, which have the ability to fill some of the digital gaps that remain unfilled,” she said, adding emphasising the need to recognise that community centre connectivity exists and they are grow throughout the global south, which, she said, are a “strategic response to digital exclusion.”
The workshop featured presentations from the NCC, the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders such as the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) all geared towards exploring a joint policy framework to address rural digital divide.
The Association for Progressive Communications is a 35-year-old international network member-based organisation encouraging digital inclusion in the unserved communities, particularly with communities in the global south and the workshop, through its LocNet initiative aimed at crafting an enabling inclusive regulatory framework for community networks in Nigeria.
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