Repeated Arrests and Security Scrutiny

A Nigerian woman has threatened legal action against telecommunications company MTN over alleged negligence regarding a recycled SIM card, which has reportedly led to her father facing repeated detentions for crimes committed by a previous user. The affected father, who has a history of high blood pressure, bought the line directly from an official MTN outlet on July 28, 2025, and registered it with his National Identification Number (NIN).

Despite completing standard regulatory registration, he was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on November 30, 2025, in connection with offences tied to the telephone number's previous owner. He remained in detention until December 2, 2025, securing his release around 11 p.m. following public intervention sparked by a video his daughter posted highlighting his plight.

INTERPOL Interrogation and Communication Gaps

What the family believed was a resolved ordeal resurfaced nearly a year later when the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) intervened. On October 30, 2026, INTERPOL summoned the father for questioning after five people he had previously contacted using the line were reportedly detained.

Investigations by INTERPOL confirmed that the number was the same line that had prompted his previous DSS arrest. Officials reportedly informed the family that they had received no update or clearance notification from the DSS, nor had systems been updated to reflect the number's reassignment to a new user. The matter has since expanded into an international inquiry, raising ongoing fears within the family of further arrests by other security branches.

Emotional Distress and Threat of Litigation

The ongoing scrutiny and detentions have severely disrupted the father's health, peace of mind, and social standing. According to his daughter, community members and acquaintances have grown hesitant to associate with him due to suspicion surrounding the security inquiries.

My dad has BP. MTN, if anything happens to my dad, if anything happens to him… that is the only person I have.

— Daughter of Affected Subscriber

This video I'm making is for me to sue MTN for the trauma they have caused us and for putting my dad in an uncomfortable state.

— Daughter of Affected Subscriber

She stated that her father now lives in persistent distress over crimes he did not commit, adding that the family holds documentary evidence of the detentions.

Concerns Over SIM Recycling Safeguards

The woman accused MTN of failing to carry out due diligence before reallocating recycled lines to new subscribers, warning that customers should not inherit criminal liabilities tied to dormant numbers.

This is negligence. How do you sell a SIM that still carries another person's crime to an innocent Nigerian who registered it with his NIN?

— Daughter of Affected Subscriber

The case underscores broader concerns regarding the verification protocols telecommunications operators and law enforcement agencies use when managing recycled mobile lines. It also points to systemic risks stemming from gaps in information-sharing across national and international security agencies. The allegations against MTN and details regarding the INTERPOL questioning could not be independently verified from the source material, and MTN's response was not included in the woman's account.