On Sunday, MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telco, barred the lines of thousands of subscribers yet to link their National Identification Number (NIN) three days before a July 31, 2024 deadline set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

MTN began blocking non-compliant SIMs in December 2023, said two people with knowledge of the matter. However, several MTN users claimed that their SIMs were blocked on Sunday despite linking their NINs. 

“I submitted my NIN twice, but my SIM was blocked without prior notice. I have been using this number for over ten years. Where do I start from?” one person told TechCabal. One person with direct knowledge of the situation said possible reasons could include incomplete NIN registration or a mismatch with SIM registration details. 

“The name on the SIM registration is different from the one on the NIN. So I need to go and update it,” one MTN customer said, confirming that the telco sent multiple notifications before blocking her number.

A spokesperson for MTN did not immediately respond to a request for comments. 

The disconnection comes as Nigerian regulators pressure telcos to implement the NIN-linkage policy introduced in December 2020. In February 2024, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) told telcos to bar subscribers who failed to link their phone numbers to their NIN on or before February 28, 2024. The deadline was extended to April 15, 2024, and later July 31, 2024. 

Gbenga Adebayo, President of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), responded to insinuations that the SIM bans were linked to the call for protest, saying the telcos were not deliberately barring lines. 

“If there is anything, it is the mismatch in NIN- SIM registration and customers who have received messages from operators to come and register and link their SIMs. It is just coincidental it is coming at this point,” he said.

In March 2024, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola said the company barred 8.6 million subscribers in compliance with the NCC directive. Many of these lines were reactivated leading to a reduction of 2 million in total subscribers for Q1 2024. 

“We have 8.9 million subscribers going through the verification process, and these subscribers fall within the cohort of less than five SIMs linked to an unverified NIN,” Toriola said.