Former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd.), has decided to sue MTN over unsolicited messages and fraudulent deductions by the telecoms giant.
Speaking on Saturday, Umar said he has briefed his lawyers to file a suit against MTN after complaining over unsolicited messages and deductions to no avail. He said despite assurances that it would not happen again, he has continued receiving unsolicited messages accompanied by deductions of money from his telephone line.
Umar forwarded two of the latest unsolicited messages he received Saturday: One susbscribed him to a callertune with a charge of N50, with an option to opt out; the other subscribed him to a package ‘Laugh Out Loud’ also with a fee.
The latest messages he received read thus: “Yello, you have downloaded the Callertune by TK SWAG for N50.00. This tune expires on 2016-12-09. To delete the tune, send del0733736”.
“Dear Customer, you have successfully subscribed to Laugh Out Loud and N50.00 deducted from your account. Your service will be renewed on 2016-11-18. To cancel, text STOP LOL to 55006. Enjoy!”
Umar said it was unfortunate that this practice has continued despite complaints. It is not about the N50 being deducted from his account, he said.
The former governor said it was fraudulent to deduct money from subscribers without their consent. He said if you multiply N50 by 70 million subscribers, for example, it means the network is stealing billions of Naira from subscribers on a daily basis.
If N50 is multiplied by 70m for instance, the sum is N3.5 billion, for instance.
Umar said he is suing MTN on behalf of 70 million subscribers and he believes the subscribers will be his witnesses in court.
“I have briefed my lawyers,” he said matter-of-factly on Saturday.
Umar said all attempts to reach NCC, the country’s telecoms regulator, have failed. (News Express)
There you go! I’ve been talking about Nigerians’ docility in the face of exploitation by telecom and other merchants in Nigeria. I would have taken out this lawsuit long before now if I resided in Nigeria. I’ve always been a victim of such deductions the few weeks I spend in Nigeria visiting. A class action against MTN and other phone companies in Nigeria is long overdue. And to our government and its regulatory agencies – you stink! You are complicit in the exploitation of Nigerians, with no interest in consumer protection. MTN and others will not do in South Africa or elsewhere, what they do to Nigerian consumers in their own country.