“I am going to sue MTN for the trauma” – Nigerian woman threatens legal action after father is arrested twice over recycled phone number
A Nigerian woman has threatened to sue telecommunications company MTN after her father was reportedly arrested twice over a recycled phone number allegedly linked to criminal activities by a previous user.
In a video shared online, the woman said her father was first arrested on November 30, 2025, after security operatives traced a SIM card linked to a criminal investigation to his residence.
She said he was taken to a DSS facility, where family members were initially unable to see or contact him. According to her, she only learnt of his arrest on Monday, prompting relatives to visit the station to find out what had happened.
She added that she made a video about the incident at the time, and her father was released on Tuesday, around 2:11 p.m. However, she claimed he was asked to continue reporting to the authorities after his release.
The woman said her father had now been arrested again over the same matter, prompting her decision to pursue legal action against MTN.
She argued that the telecommunications company had a responsibility to ensure that recycled phone numbers were properly cleared of previous users’ records and that their reassignment was appropriately documented.
Citing the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, she accused MTN of negligence, claiming that the previous user’s alleged criminal activities remained linked to the number after it was reassigned to her father.
She said she would be seeking damages over the trauma the incidents had caused her family, adding that she was particularly worried about her father’s safety.
