Telecommunications giant MTN has resumed nationwide operations after a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday.
The temporary closure was in response to massive customer outrage and vandalism caused by the termination of users who did not link their SIM cards to their National Identification Numbers.
On Wednesday, MTN announced its return to operations through X (previously Twitter), announcing that its physical stores would be open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
“Y’ello customer, please note that our shops nationwide will be open today, 31 July. Operating hours: 8.00 am–3:00 pm. We are also available 24/7 to support you via digital channels,” the operator said.
Over the weekend, several users were unable to access their phone lines because they failed to verify their NINs with SIMs, resulting in their numbers being restricted in accordance with NIN-SIM linkage legislation.
This blockade spurred thousands of subscribers to storm MTN offices on Monday, prompting the Nigerian Communications Commission to order telecom companies to quickly restore all impacted lines.
The NCC, in a statement signed on Monday by Reuben Muoka, Director of Media and Public Affairs, indicated that the instruction was issued in reaction to the extensive disruption and subscriber outrage caused by the blockages.
The mandatory connection of NINs with SIMs, which began in December 2020, was intended to improve the country’s security and ensure an accurate SIM ownership record.
Despite multiple deadline extensions, the most recent being July 31, 2024, many lines remain unconfirmed. Since December 2023, the Commission has reconsidered the deadline several times.
Initially, the deadline for the whole network was scheduled for April 15, 2024, with the exception of subscribers who had four or fewer SIMs with unverified NIN details.
This deadline was then extended to July 31, 2024, to provide consumers more time to guarantee that their submitted NIN information is correct.
Despite these extensions, many phone lines have yet to be linked to validated NINs.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
