A young Nigerian woman has announced her intention to sue MTN Nigeria. She says her father was arrested twice by the Department of State Services over a recycled SIM card. The first arrest occurred on 30 November 2025. The DSS traced a phone number to him. A previous holder had used the number in criminal activity. Her father had bought the line believing it was new. The family was initially denied access to him. He was released after she posted a video online. The agency told him to keep reporting to it. A second summons has now followed. She says the new matter involves an international investigation.
SIM recycling is routine in Nigerian telecoms. Operators deactivate numbers for inactivity and reissue them to new subscribers. The regulator has tightened registration since 2020. The NIN-SIM linkage exercise forced millions of lines through biometric verification. The rules require operators to identify subscribers and hold their data. The rules say far less about scrubbing a recycled line of the previous owner’s associations. When security agencies trace a number, they can reach the wrong person.
The woman broke down during her appeal. Her father is hypertensive. She said he is her only surviving parent. She warned that MTN would be held responsible if his health collapsed. She cited the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. She argued that operators owe a duty of care. A recycled number sold as new, she said, should be stripped of the previous holder’s data. Security tracking registries should be updated to show the line has changed hands. Failing to do so, she said, is gross negligence. She wants damages for the trauma inflicted on her family.
MTN has not responded publicly. The NCC has not commented. The DSS has issued no statement on either arrest.
Winners: The claimant, who gains a platform. Consumer rights lawyers, who gain a case. The NCC, if it uses the case to tighten rules. Losers: The father, who faces repeated detention for another person’s crime. The family, who face fear and expense. MTN, whose verification processes are questioned. The DSS, whose targeting is exposed. Every subscriber holding a recycled line.
Bottom Line: A man was arrested for a number he bought in good faith. The operator sold the line. The agency traced it. The law protects data. It does not yet protect the wrong buyer. If the suit proceeds, it will test who pays for a recycled SIM’s history.