SIM Recycling: What You Should Know Before Buying a New SIM
- Recycled SIM cards exposed Nigerians to arrests, bank alerts, and legal risks
- Titilayo Ibrahim was detained after buying a recycled SIM linked to a past crime
- Experts advised users to verify new lines and unlink unused numbers promptly
Growing complaints across Nigeria have drawn attention to the risks linked to recycled SIM cards, a practice that has left some new phone users facing financial confusion, police scrutiny, and prolonged legal battles.
One of the most striking cases involves Titilayo Ibrahim, a small-scale business owner who said her life was upended after purchasing and registering what she believed was a new SIM card in April 2025.
Source: Getty Images
The line, registered on the Airtel network and used in a MiFi device, later became the basis for her arrest over a crime she said she had no link to.
Authorities traced the number to a kidnapping operation carried out months earlier. According to her account to BBC News Yoruba, undercover officers posed as customers, arrested her, and accused her of kidnapping and murder. She spent an extended period in detention before her lawyer proved she acquired the line long after the crime occurred.
How recycled SIM cards resurface
Recycled SIM cards are previously used phone numbers that telecom operators reassign after long periods of inactivity. Legal practitioner Abimbola Orogade, based in Ibadan, said the practice is lawful and regulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
An MTN spokesperson explained that mobile numbers are not permanent assets. Operators are allowed to recycle lines inactive for 360 days. Inactivity includes no calls, texts, data usage, or other revenue activity. Calls made through WiFi based apps are excluded. Once recycled, a line can be reassigned to a new user.
Problems arise when the former owner fails to unlink the number from banks, official records, or digital platforms. New users may then receive sensitive messages meant for someone else.
Source: Getty Images
Real-world consequences for new users
Another Nigerian woman shared on X that she began receiving bank alerts for large transactions shortly after activating a new MTN line. Complaints to banks did not immediately resolve the issue.
Experts say such situations expose innocent users to financial and legal risks. Orogade advised Nigerians to formally remove unused numbers from all services before abandoning them.
Steps to protect yourself
New SIM buyers are advised to register lines personally and confirm no third party data is attached. Users can dial *996# to check which numbers are linked to their National Identity Number. Telecom offices can also assist with verification.
Titilayo Ibrahim later regained her freedom after Airtel records confirmed she bought the SIM more than a year after the crime. Orogade said she could sue the Nigeria Police for unlawful detention, though such cases often take years.
The rising cases have renewed calls for stronger safeguards around SIM recycling and public awareness of its hidden dangers.
EndSARS victim finally regains freedom after six years
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that freedom came after six years behind bars for Wasiu Rasheed, a Lagos youth arrested as a teenager during the October 2020 EndSARS protests and later cleared of all charges by a court.
Rasheed, now 23, walked out of Kirikiri Correctional Centre weeks after a judge discharged and acquitted him, bringing an end to a case that began when he was 17.
Source: Legit.ng
