Woman Threatens MTN with Lawsuit After Father’s Double Arrest Over Criminal Past of Phone Line

​ABEOKUTA — A Nigerian woman has threatened to institute legal action against telecommunications giant MTN following the harrowing ordeal of her elderly father, who was arrested twice by security operatives over a recycled phone number previously tied to criminal activities.

​The incident, which has sparked widespread concern across digital rights and consumer safety circles, highlights the growing vulnerabilities associated with the recycling and reassignment of dormant phone lines by telecom operators in the country.

​According to details shared in a viral video account, the trouble began when security operatives—reportedly from the Department of State Services (DSS)—traced a mobile line linked to an ongoing criminal investigation straight to the elderly man’s residence. He was subsequently taken into custody, plunging his family into sudden panic as relatives struggled for days to locate or contact him.

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​Although family members eventually tracked him down and secured his release following public advocacy and administrative intervention, the relief was short-lived. The victim was asked to continue reporting to security authorities, and within days, he was re-arrested over the exact same matter.

​Infuriated by the recurring trauma inflicted on her family, the aggrieved daughter announced plans to seek substantial damages against MTN. She accused the telecom operator of gross negligence, arguing that the company failed in its core obligation to completely purge and clear recycled phone numbers of the digital and criminal footprints left by previous users before reissuing them to unsuspecting members of the public.

​Invoking provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, legal analysts note that the case brings renewed urgency to systemic vulnerabilities in SIM recycling. Under standard industry practices, telecom lines left inactive for extended periods are legally designated for recycling. However, experts have repeatedly warned that the failure to properly disassociate these numbers from legacy financial platforms, security watchlists, and online profiles exposes innocent citizens to severe security risks, wrongful arrests, and profound psychological trauma.

​As public outcry mounts online, consumer advocacy groups are demanding stricter regulatory enforcement by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to mandate telecommunications providers to implement foolproof sanitization protocols for all reassigned telephone numbers.