An unidentified lady recently took to social media in tears after operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested her father in Ekiti over a shocking SIM–NIN mix-up.
According to her, the officers traced a criminal case from Lagos to a phone number allegedly linked to her father’s line, a number he had only just purchased after experiencing issues with his old line.
He registered the SIM, but it’s likely that someone else, potentially a criminal, previously used the number. So when law enforcement followed the digital trail, they found his details instead. 
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This terrifying incident highlights a fast-growing national security threat on how criminals secretly link their own phone numbers to the NIN profiles of innocent Nigerians.
And anyone affected can be implicated, arrested, and forced to prove their innocence, even when they’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.
How to Check if Unknown Numbers Are Linked to Your NIN
Dial *996# on your phone.
Select Option 4 – View NIN Status
Choose Option 2 – View Numbers Linked to NIN
Your results will appear instantly. If you recognise all the numbers, good. But if you see any strange or unknown number, treat it as a red alert.
If the number was linked without your permission, also consider filing a report for your own protection. Go immediately to your network provider’s customer service centre (MTN, Airtel, Glo, or 9mobile) and tell them to unlink the suspicious number from your NIN.
Your NIN must only be linked to phone numbers you personally own. Leaving a strange number connected to your NIN is like giving a criminal access to your identity.
And when trouble comes, the police won’t ask twice before arresting the person whose NIN is linked to the offending number.
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