Many Nigerians woke up on Saturday to a text message they did not expect. It came from a sender called “NCC-Checker” and told them their phone was “not verified for use on Nigerian mobile networks”. They had 30 cumulative days before disconnection, it said, and should contact their seller or dial 315.
Technext first reported the wave of warnings. BusinessDay later spoke to an official of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), who said there was no need to panic.
The messages are the first time most ordinary phone users have felt the NCC’s new Device Management System (DMS). Until now, the rollout had mostly involved importers, dealers and manufacturers. Here is what is going on, who is affected and what you can do.
What happened
Over the weekend, owners of phones from several brands reported getting the warning. According to BusinessDay, they included iPhone, Infinix, Tecno, Oukitel and Google Pixel users. Some had bought their phones abroad. One user had an iPhone 17 Pro bought from a UK supermarket. But others had bought their phones locally, including from an online store, and still got the alert.
The NCC official who spoke to BusinessDay said the exercise was not aimed at any particular brand or model. The official added that a registration process for phones bought privately, such as those brought in from abroad, would be rolled out “in the coming days”. The Commission also plans media briefings in Lagos and Abuja before the full launch.
In other words, the warning is a notice, not an instant shutdown. But it is a clear sign that the NCC intends to enforce its rules on unapproved devices.
What is the Device Management System?
The DMS is the NCC’s platform for checking whether phones and other SIM-enabled devices are approved for use in Nigeria. At its heart is a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR). This is a national database of IMEI numbers, the unique 15-digit code that every phone has.
The legal basis is not new. Section 132(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 says communications equipment must have NCC Type Approval before it can be sold or used in the country. In August 2024, the NCC issued Type Approval Business Rules that set the framework for the central IMEI register.
In September 2026, the Commission said it was moving to a technology-driven way of enforcing those rules. Engr. Edoyemi Ogoh, the NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, said all SIM-enabled devices brought into the country “must be registered before they are sold”, according to Techeconomy. Devices that are not registered will not be allowed to work on Nigerian networks.
The rules cover more than phones. Tablets, POS terminals and routers that take a SIM card are also included.
The timeline so far
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| August 2024 | NCC issues Type Approval Business Rules, the basis for a central IMEI register |
| September 2026 | NCC announces tighter enforcement through the DMS; phase one targets devices in stock and new imports |
| 7 September 2026 | Original deadline for dealers and importers to upload existing stock |
| 6 October 2026 | Extended deadline for onboarding existing devices in stock |
| 10 October 2026 | Users start receiving “NCC-Checker” 30-day warning texts |
| “Coming days” | Registration process for privately acquired phones, per an NCC official |
Why the NCC is doing this
The Commission gives three main reasons.
Fake and substandard phones. Counterfeit and low-quality devices can perform poorly on networks and may even be unsafe. A central register makes it harder for them to get on the network.
Stolen phones. Once the system is fully running, a phone reported stolen can be blocked across all Nigerian networks, even if the thief swaps the SIM card. That could make phone theft far less rewarding.
Fraud and security. Linking each device to an IMEI record helps investigators trace phones used in scams and other crimes.
On privacy, the NCC says the platform only stores device identification data such as IMEI numbers. Ogoh said it does not give the Commission access to what is on your phone or let it monitor personal communications.
How to check if your phone is approved
Checking takes less than a minute:
- Dial *315# on the phone you want to check.
- Choose option 1, “Check this device”.
- If your phone is fine, you should see a message saying the device is NCC Type Approved and verified for use on Nigerian mobile networks.
If you get a warning instead, don’t panic. A warning does not mean your phone is fake. It means the phone’s IMEI has not yet been verified in the system. That can happen if it was imported by an individual, bought from a dealer who did not upload their stock, or simply not yet captured.
Note that the warning text says “dial 315”, but reports on how to check use the USSD code *315#. If one doesn’t work, try the other.
The row over fees
Not everyone is happy with how the DMS is being rolled out. In September, the Association of Mobile Phones and Allied Products Traders of Nigeria said it supported the system itself but rejected a proposed registration fee for newly imported devices.
The association’s president, Musa Mamza, warned that manufacturers had refused to absorb the cost, so dealers would pass it on to buyers. “We are not against the policy,” he told Leadership, but added that some parts were “detrimental to the industry”. The traders asked for a three-to-six-month awareness period and appealed to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to step in.
Phone technicians have raised their own worries, including the short timeline, the lack of a clear appeal process for wrongly flagged devices, and whether the system can handle millions of phones. The NCC has said it will consider the concerns.
The NCC has not published a final fee schedule that we could confirm, so we are not quoting figures here.
What this means for Nigerians
For most people, the practical step is simple: dial *315# today and check every SIM-enabled device in your home, including your MiFi or router and any POS machine you use for business.
If you bought your phone abroad, you are the group most likely to be affected. Keep your receipt and proof of purchase. Watch for the NCC’s registration process for privately acquired phones, which an official says is coming soon.
If you bought locally and got a warning, go back to your seller first. The NCC’s advice is to ask your vendor or an authorised retailer to make sure the phone’s IMEI has been cleared and registered. Dealers were supposed to upload their stock by 6 October, so this is partly their responsibility.
If you are buying a phone now, new or used, check it with *315# before you pay. This matters especially in places like Computer Village, on Jiji or from Instagram sellers, where devices often come in through informal channels. A cheap “UK-used” phone that cannot be registered is no bargain.
If you run a business, POS terminals and routers are covered too. An agent banking point that loses its connection loses money. Ask your terminal provider to confirm your devices are registered.
On prices, if a per-device fee is finally approved, traders say it will be passed on to buyers. With phones already expensive after years of naira weakness, even a small extra cost will be felt, especially on budget handsets.
There is also an upside. If the stolen-phone blacklist works as promised, snatching phones in traffic or at bus stops becomes far less attractive, because a blocked phone is worth much less to a thief.
What about Ghana and Kenya?
Nigeria is not the first African country to try this. Kenya’s Communications Authority switched off counterfeit phones on its networks back in 2012, after a similar registration drive. That experience showed that clear public communication and enough time matter, as many people only discovered their phones were fake when they stopped working.
What happens next
The key things to watch are:
- the NCC’s official registration process for phones bought abroad or privately;
- the planned media briefings in Lagos and Abuja;
- whether the NCC confirms or changes the proposed device registration fees;
- how “30 cumulative days” is counted, which the Commission has not yet explained publicly;
- whether there will be a clear appeal route for phones flagged by mistake.
We will update this story when the NCC publishes official guidance.
Sources
- Nigerian Communications Commission (official website)
- Techeconomy: NCC tightens noose on non-type approved SIM-enabled devices (NCC statement, Edoyemi Ogoh)
- Technext: NCC set to disconnect unregistered phones
- Technext: NCC begins process to block unregistered SIM-enabled devices
- BusinessDay: NCC moves to block unapproved phones as Nigerians receive 30-day disconnection alerts
- Legit.ng: NCC introduces USSD code for Nigerians to check if their phones are approved
- Legit.ng: NCC extends device onboarding deadline to 6 October
- Leadership: Mobile phone traders reject NCC’s proposed device registration fees
About the author: Steve Oke is the editor of TechPeza, where he covers AI tools, electric vehicles, home power, fintech and smartphones for African readers.
