Millions of MTN subscribers have been made inaccessible as the telecoms service provider locked them out, denying them communication with business partners, friends and relations.
In the last few weeks, MTN has been sending out messages, urging subscribers to visit any of their service centres with photo identification to verify the registration of their sim cards.
In such messages it stated: “Dear subscriber, please visit any of our service centres with a valid photo identification to confirm your sim registration.”
It would be recalled that two years ago, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had directed a compilation of a database of GSM subscribers in the country.
The exercise had seen the NCC and the telecommunications service providers to conduct separate registration exercise for the purpose.
The messages asking subscribers to re-register their sim after two previous exercises have left subscribers some of who have had their telephone lines blocked confused as hundreds have been rendered incommunicado.
A visit to some of the MTN service centres revealed that subscribers have been going through hell in their efforts to confirm the registration of their sim.
At Ojodu- Berger office of MTN in Lagos, there was a large crowd of subscribers.
Many of the subscribers said that they had been on the re-registration exercise for several days without success.
They complained that all they had been able to do was to collect the leaflets distributed by security men at the gate of the office, which they were asked to fill and return with a photocopy of their identity card.
A copy of the form obtained by our correspondent showed that the information requested included: name of the subscriber, mother’s maiden name, date of birth, gender, marital status, contact address, state of origin, residential address,, local government area, and occupation.
Incidentally these are exactly the same information requested at the two previous exercises.
Efforts to speak to officials of MTN at Ojodu proved abortive as they were holed up inside their offices, leaving only the security men to attend to customers.
