MTN Nigeria closes offices nationwide following customers’ protests over NIN-SIM linkage

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MTN Nigeria has announced the closure of all its offices across the country starting July 30.

The closure decision comes in response to the vandalization of the company’s offices by frustrated customers whose lines were disconnected following the government’s NIN-SIM linkage policy.

In a statement on X, MTN encouraged affected customers to use digital support channels for assistance while their offices are closed.

“Yello customer, please be informed that our shops nationwide will be closed today, 30th July 2024,” the statement sighted on X read.

Additionally, the company has released a step-by-step guide to help subscribers unblock their SIMs online.

On July 27, Nigerians nationwide reported being unable to make or receive calls after their telephone lines were blocked due to the failure to link their national identification numbers (NINs) with their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.

The situation escalated on Monday when a group of angry customers tore down the fence at an MTN Nigeria office in Festac town, Lagos. The incident occurred when subscribers flocked to MTN offices to complain about the disconnecting of their telephone lines.

Similar scenes were witnessed at the offices of other telecommunication firms in various parts of the country, including Oyo, FCT, and Kano, as subscribers protested the development.

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Amid the chaos, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ordered telecommunication operators to temporarily reconnect all blocked phone lines as part of the NIN-SIM verification exercise.

The NIN-SIM linkage policy, which started in December 2020, mandated telecommunication companies to deactivate unregistered SIM cards and SIMs not linked to NINs.

The NCC had extended the deadline multiple times, with the latest deadline set for April 15, 2024, for the full network barring of subscribers with four or fewer unverified NIN-linked SIMs.

However, this deadline was subsequently extended to July 31, 2024, to give consumers more time to ensure their NIN details were properly verified.