from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – VIOLENT protests targeting MTN Nigeria after it blocked some subscribers’ lines this past weekend are adding to the tensions in the West African country.
The operator shut its shops nationwide after vandalism.
It coincides with nationwide protests set to start on Tuesday, as Nigerians protest against corruption and the declining economy under the presidency of Bola Tinubu.
A day before the protests is a deadline by mobile network operations to deregister clients that have failed with a government order to register their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards to the national identity card number (NIN).
Days before the deadline, some operators have deactivated some subscribers that have not complied and MTN, the biggest operator, which is South African-headquartered, is said to have deregistered the most.
This has triggered some protests against the operator.
Demonstrations erupted at the MTN offices in the capital Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, and Osogbo, among other affected locations.
Officials confirmed the store closures.
A security think tank projected that the protesters would still not relent but continue against the operator, even beyond the government deadline on Thursday.
“Further protests possible at MTN phone operator offices across Nigeria through early August,” Crisis24 stated.
It noted security was likely to increase near MTN offices in the event of further protests.
“Clashes with security forces are possible.”
However, more severe clashes are forecast in the youth-led general demonstrations from Thursday, with the party demanding the resignation of Tinubu. He has been in power since last year (2023).
Authorities have threatened a crackdown if protesters go overboard.
The shortage of gasoline in recent days threatens to add fuel to the fire.
Long queues have characterised the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), the state-owned and sole importer of gasoline in the country, recently attributed prevailing problems to a “hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels.”
Some stations have hiked the price while others suspended sales.
– CAJ News