MTN in Nigeria closes stores

In an unfortunate turn of events, MTN has decided to temporarily close all their stores in Nigeria due to an outrage that took place in Lagos.

On Tuesday, MTN Nigeria wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that on the 30th of July all stores will not be operating because of vandalism attacks caused by angry citizens. The post continued to share that they will be available 24/7 to assist their customers on their digital channels.

A video posted on social media showed customers vandalizing and pulling down the fence of the building of the MTN offices in Festac town, an area in Lagos.

The reason for angry customers charging towards the building is because subscribers’ lines were disconnected due to the confrontation between the governments National Identification Numbers (NIN) and SIM registration policy.

The purpose of the NIN-SIM policy is for it to verify and protect the users’ identities whilst showing a layout that makes sense and the benefits of a strong digital economy for the citizens.

The collaboration of NIN along with SIM started in December 2020 where the government stated to the telecommunication companies to remove unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that are not associated with NIN.

It was during this outburst where the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) told the telecom operators to reconnect all the lines that were blocked due to the NIN-SIM verification process. This gives customers more time to check if their submitted NIN details are thoroughly checked.

Nonetheless it is still unclear whether the protesters managed to enter the building and if any employee was harmed or injured.

Main Image: The Nigerian Voice