How Airtel Kaduna Harassed Journalist As Residents Express Frustration During NIN/SIM linkage

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: Following Federal Government directives on SIM cards and NIN linkages Kaduna residents on Monday 11th March, 2024 expressed disappointment in the inability of Airtel Kaduna office Yakubu Gowon way to preserve records they painstaking submitted last December for SIM and NIN linkages.

According to some customers who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that, after successfully linking their SIM cards with NIN they got messages from Airtel saying ” Dear Valued Customer, your NIN has a mismatch with your KYC details. Please update your details at any of our Airtel KYC Service Centres. Please come along with your NIN slip. Dial *386# to find nearest Airtel KYC Centres / Airtel Shops.”

The Kaduna based journalist who linked his line few minutes previously got similar messages as mentioned above, drama however ensued shortly after joining the queue for 3 hours and linking his line, Airtel Kaduna office sent in this message to his lines “Dear Customer, your {0} submitted for KYC update has failed NIMC validation. Kindly visit nearest Airtel Shop for re-validation.” All efforts by at least 18 Nigerians with similar messages to go inside for inquiries failed as the security men said ” once you go out of this premises you can enter, we have started using register, just write your name if you are lucky you will enter inside today” out of frustration they all left.

In a bid to follow up, Daylight Reporters gathered that the Kaduna based journalist said ” I went back to Airtel Kaduna office located at Yakubu Gowon way on Wednesday 13th March in the morning and demanded to see the manager after fully introducing myself, the security directed me to a man, who said the Manager was on National conference call, so he will discuss with me, as I started narrating the issues on how I called customer care who confirmed that the line wasn’t linked, I tried showing him the messages on my phone from Airtel, the man started screaming “why are you recording me” I said am not recording you sir, I opened my files and others on my phone , he went through and found nothing but the Airtel staff still called security to throw me out of Airtel premises saying “you journalists are blackmailers, get out of here” You can go and write anything, I don’t care”