Militants Threat – NCC, MTN Want Tight Security for Telecoms Facilities

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and MTN Nigeria yesterday called on security agencies to prevent the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) from carrying out its threat to blow up the telecoms company’s infrastructure in the Niger Delta.

MEND at the weekend threatened to destroy MTN Nigeria infrastructure in the Niger Delta because of alleged incarceration of its leader Henry Okah by President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. MTN is a South African company.

Okah is standing trial in South Africa for the October 1, 2010 bomb blast which killed scores in Abuja.

MEND, in a statement signed by Jomo Gbomo, accused Zuma of colluding with Nigerian officials to deny Okah bail in South Africa.

Yesterday, MTN’s spokeswoman, Funmi Omogbenigun, said the facilities built by MTN Nigeria and other telecommunication companies are key to the ICT revolution in Nigeria and the accelerated socio-economic development of our nation and damaging them would do more harm to the Nigerian people.

Responding to questions from Daily Trust, Omogbenigun said threats and matters related to national security and critical national infrastructure are the responsibility of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the security agencies, and urged that the MEND threat like others be given attention by government.

Also, NCC spokesman Reuben Mouka in response to our reporter’s question said it is security agencies that are positioned to protect telecoms infrastructure in the country.

Segun Adebayo, Chairman of the Association of Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) had said the Federal Government needed to accord the status of national infrastructure on all telecoms infrastructure in the country.