MTN, Airtel didn’t Block Lines Because of Protests — Buhari’s Former-Aide Ahmad

Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has claimed that telecommunications companies have not barred some lines because of the upcoming protests.

On Sunday, several social media users began to complain that their lines had been barred, especially by MTN and Airtel.

But in a post on X, Ahmad said a senior government official has informed him that they have no hand in the matter and that it is not linked to the planned protest for next week.

Ahmad wrote: “After my earlier tweet complaining about MTN blocking user lines, a senior government official reached out to me and clarified that the issue was not connected to the planned protest.

“The lines were actually blocked because the NIN details did not match the information submitted during SIM registration. Examples of such mismatches include discrepancies in names or dates of birth.

“He also told me that MTN and Airtel have sent out SMS notifications to the affected users, advising them to visit their offices or use the self-service portal to resubmit their NIN with the correct details. Please share the information so that it reaches more of the affected users.”