MTN Suspends Services After Office Vandalism

MTN Suspends Services After Office Vandalism: A telecommunications company

official confirmed to The Cable that the decision to temporarily suspend

operations was made due to the vandalism of their offices by disgruntled

customers. These customers had their lines disconnected as a result of the

government’s NIN-SIM linkage policy, which required subscribers to link

their national identification numbers (NINs) with their SIM cards.

The policy, initiated in December 2020, aimed to bar unregistered SIM

cards and those not linked to NINs.

The situation escalated on July 27, when numerous Nigerians reported

being unable to make or receive calls due to the disconnection of their lines.

In response, a group of angry customers vandalized an MTN Nigeria office

in Festac town, Lagos, pulling down the fence. Similar incidents occurred at other telecommunication companies’ offices in various parts of the country, including Oyo, FCT, and Kano. The customers were frustrated with the sudden disconnection of their lines, which had caused inconvenience and disruption to their daily activities.

the chaos

However, amidst the chaos, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) intervened, ordering telecommunication operators to temporarily reconnect all phone lines that were blocked as part of the NIN-SIM verification exercise.

The NCC had previously set deadlines for the full network barring of subscribers with unverified NIN details, but later extended the deadline to July 31, 2024, to allow consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details were properly verified.

The temporary suspension of operations by the telecommunications company is a precautionary measure to prevent further vandalism and ensure the safety of their staff and equipment.