Telecom
NCC Slams N25m on Telcos for Illegal Use of Spectrum
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has sanctioned fives telecommunications companies for illegally using the 5.4GHz to provide services.
Prof Umar Danbatta, EVC, NCC
The five companies are: Priority Communications, Entouche Networks, Futurecom, KKON Technologies & Spar, are to pay N5 million each for the contravention.
NCC, in its latest enforcement report, disclosed that the five companies were earlier charged to court after they were caught using the spectrum illegally, but they pleaded for leniency and requested for settlement out of Court.
“Following their plea, administrative fines of N5,000,000.00 (five million naira) only was respectively imposed on the companies,” the Commission stated in the report.
NCC noted that while some of the companies have effected full payment of the fine, some have proposed to pay on an instalment basis.
The commission had, last year, threatened to impose sanctions, including imprisonment, fines and confiscation of equipment being used by some companies and agencies of government to illegally occupy 5.4GHz frequency band. The Commission, in a published warning to the illegal users, had noted that the 5.4GHz band spanning 5.430-5.725GHz frequency range has been licensed in Nigeria. It stressed that transmission of signals or use of equipment in any form on the band without a frequency license obtained from NCC is illegal.
“Companies, government agencies, telecommunications service providers, private companies or any person(s) using this band… should note that it is a criminal offence pursuant to section 122 NCA, 2003 to operate in any frequency not duly assigned by the Commission.
“The consequences of such an act may lead to imprisonment, sanction and confiscation of equipment used in operating the illegal services,” NCC stated. In the latest enforcement report, the Commission noted that as a sequel to “a nationwide monitoring exercise conducted by Spectrum Administration Department in respect of the 5.4GHz frequency band and the subsequent pre-enforcement publication in the national dailies in 2019, Management approval was granted to commence a nationwide enforcement exercise against the illegal and unauthorized users of the 5.4GHz frequency band.
“In this regard, the Commission conducted enforcement exercise in Cross Rivers, Akwa- Ibom, Otukpa (Benue), Warri (Delta), Benin (Edo), Enugu (Enugu) and Owerri (Imo) respectively. Several arrests were made in Warri, Uyo, Calabar, and Owerri as well as items confiscated and the cases were filed at the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) for investigation and possible prosecution,” it said. Meanwhile, the Commission said it received a security report from the NSCDC, Jigawa State Command, in respect of the prevalence and sale of fully activated SIM Cards in some major markets across the State. According to the report, the NSCDC had identified fourteen (14) markets where pre-registered SIM Cards are sold in various places across Jigawa State.
“The EVC approved two (2) teams to carry out enforcement in some select markets from the 14 identified markets. The selected markets are located in Gumel and Hadejia Emirate Councils. Fifteen suspects were arrested and handed over to the NSCDC for further investigation and possible prosecution,” the Commission reported. Meanwhile, the Commission said it has commenced monitoring of the telcos’ networks to ascertain their compliance with the directive on the 2442 shortcode, which allows subscribers to stop unwanted messages.
The telecoms regulator said its Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department (CMED) devised a strategy to monitor and ensure compliance with the directive through a quarterly review of the performance of Mobile Network Operators’ (MNOs) DND facilities. “The Audit of DND was held between 4th and 6th March 2020 and all the four (4) MNOs (EMTS, MTN, Airtel, and GLO) were visited,” NCC stated in the report.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”
Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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