MTN has shut down its offices across Nigeria following incidents of vandalism by frustrated customers.
The closures happened after some MTN users protested against the disconnection of their lines due to issues with the NIN-SIM linkage policy.
The company announced the office closures on its customer support Twitter page, saying, “Yello customer, please be informed that our shops nationwide will be closed today, 30th July 2024.” MTN advised customers to use their “digital channels” for support instead.
The closure followed a violent protest at MTN’s Festac office in Lagos, where customers angry about their disconnected lines damaged the property. Videos from Channels Television show people pulling down the office’s fence.
Happening now at MTN office festac town pic.twitter.com/jkSDgpKSpZ
— Mila Mila 🌏 (@MilamanOfor) July 29, 2024
In response to the vandalism, Lagos State Police intervened to restore order. Benjamin Hundeyin, spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, said, “This should not be the way to go! Meanwhile, the DPO Festac and his men responded immediately after they got this report. They succeeded in restoring normalcy and are still on the ground to maintain peace.”
Across the country, customers with disconnected lines flocked to MTN offices to resolve their issues. Many phone users had their lines blocked for not linking their National Identification Number with their SIMs. This caused widespread panic and led some to believe it was part of a government move to prevent protests over economic hardships and bad governance.
In response to the situation, the Nigeria Communications Commission ordered telecom companies to reactivate the blocked lines. Reuben Muoka, NCC spokesperson, said, “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.”
He added, “Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM.”
