MTN Shuts Offices Nationwide After SIM Blocking Outrage

MTN shut down its offices nationwide after the SIM blocking outage.

Glamtush reports that telecoms giant, MTN, has closed all its offices and service centres across Nigeria.

This was coming on the heels of an outrage by some of its subscribers across the country after the network provider barred their lines on Sunday.

In a viral video on social media Monday, a mob is seen destroying a barricade fence just outside the MTN office.

The clip showed a large crowd of angry subscribers vandalising the telecommunications company’s office in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State in response to the network blocking subscribers due to a mismatch in their National Identification Number and SIM registration.

However, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a response to the circulated video on X.com stated that the DPO of FESTAC and his men had successfully restored normalcy and peace at the scene.

Millions of phone users had seen their lines blocked for failure to link their National Identify Number (NIN) with their SIMS. That generated panic among many Nigerians. Some claimed it was part of the Federal Government’s measures to halt the planned protest over hardship and bad governance.

But the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday ordered the telecommunications firms to reactivate the blocked lines.

“The consumer is our priority, therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs,” the spokesman for the regulatory body Reuben Muoka said.

“Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM,” the regulator added.