Sowore Targets MTN Over Data Complaints as Consumer Anger Collides With Tariff Hikes, Weak Trust and Regulatory Pressure

Sowore Targets MTN Over Data Complaints as Consumer Anger Collides With Tariff Hikes, Weak Trust and Regulatory Pressure

Activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has publicly accused MTN Nigeria of exploiting subscribers, calling the company “the biggest data thief” and alleging that it is “milking Nigerians,” remarks that have struck a chord with many mobile users already frustrated by rising telecom costs and recurring complaints about rapid data depletion. The statement appears to have spread first through social media clips and reposts rather than a formal petition or documented regulatory filing, and as of now there is no public evidence that Sowore has released a technical audit or documentary proof to substantiate the accusation in forensic terms. What is clear, however, is that his intervention has landed in the middle of a much wider dispute over telecom pricing, service quality, billing transparency and consumer trust in Nigeria.

The context is crucial. In January 2025, the Nigerian Communications Commission approved tariff adjustment requests by network operators, with increases capped at a maximum of 50 percent of existing tariffs. The regulator said the move was meant to respond to market conditions and rising operating costs after tariffs had remained unchanged since 2013. The NCC also said operators were required to implement the new rates transparently and fairly, while informing the public and showing measurable improvements in service delivery. That approval created immediate pressure on households and businesses already struggling with inflation and rising living costs, and it has remained one of the most politically sensitive decisions in Nigeria’s communications sector.

Since then, consumer frustration has increasingly centered not only on higher prices but on the feeling that purchased data no longer lasts as long as it used to. A recent analysis in The Nation captured the mood among subscribers, reporting widespread complaints that bundles once lasting weeks now disappear within days or even hours. The same report noted that operators and regulators have repeatedly pointed to technical reasons such as background apps, automatic updates, high-definition streaming and other device-level consumption patterns, but argued that these explanations have not resolved deeper concerns over transparency in how usage is measured and billed. That gap between operator explanations and consumer perception is what gives Sowore’s remarks their political force, even in the absence of publicly produced technical evidence. 

MTN’s own published materials show the company does disclose plan structures and cost-per-megabyte on its website. Its “Data Plans Overview” page lists bundle prices, validity periods and the cost per MB for many plans, while also setting out distinctions between standard data, YouTube time-based allowances, night streaming allowances and other components. That means MTN is not hiding the nominal rate architecture of its plans. But disclosure of plan pricing is not the same thing as settling the real dispute, which is whether customers can independently verify the pace and accuracy of consumption in everyday use. That is where much of the mistrust remains concentrated. 

MTN has also published customer support guidance for failed airtime or data transactions, including channels for complaints through its call centre, WhatsApp, email and social platforms. The company instructs affected users to submit transaction references, debit alerts and screenshots, which suggests it has a formal consumer complaint process in place for purchase failures or deduction disputes. However, I did not find a current public MTN statement directly responding to Sowore’s specific allegation that the company is “the biggest data thief.” So at this stage, there is evidence of MTN’s published complaint channels, but no confirmed direct rebuttal from the company to this particular accusation.

The broader industry environment partly explains why telecom companies say price increases were necessary. Reuters reported in January 2025 that the NCC approved tariff hikes because operators were facing sharply higher operating costs linked to inflation and currency devaluation. Reuters also reported in March 2025 that MTN Group’s earnings were heavily hit by the devaluation of the Nigerian naira, contributing to a pretax loss at MTN Nigeria and major pressure on group performance. From the operators’ perspective, higher prices were framed as a sustainability issue. From the subscriber’s perspective, however, the result has been simple: Nigerians are paying more and many do not believe they are receiving commensurate value. 

That mismatch has already drawn labour and regulatory attention. Reuters reported that the Nigeria Labour Congress rejected the tariff hike and described it as an unfair burden on citizens. In March and April 2026, Nigerian media also reported that the NCC moved toward requiring compensation for poor service, with affected subscribers to receive automatic airtime credits when quality-of-service benchmarks are not met. That development is important because it shows the regulator itself recognizes a trust and performance problem in the market, even if that is not the same thing as validating accusations of “data theft.” 

So where does that leave Sowore’s claim? On the evidence currently available, it is accurate to report that he made the accusation and that it resonated because public frustration over telecom pricing and data depletion is already high. It is also accurate to say that complaints about fast data exhaustion are widespread and predate his remarks. But it would not be accurate, based on the material I found, to state as fact that MTN is stealing data from subscribers in a proven technical or legal sense. No official NCC enforcement action, court ruling, or publicly available independent audit reviewed here establishes that conclusion. What does exist is a combustible mix of higher tariffs, opaque user experience, recurring complaints, limited public trust, and a regulator now under pressure to be seen as protecting consumers more aggressively. 

In practical terms, the controversy is about more than one activist’s outburst. It has become a proxy for a larger national argument over who bears the cost of Nigeria’s digital economy. Operators argue that infrastructure, spectrum, power, forex and network expansion are expensive and that pricing must reflect economic reality. Consumers argue that affordability is collapsing, complaints are rarely resolved to their satisfaction, and the systems used to meter consumption are not transparent enough to command confidence. Unless that trust gap is narrowed through stronger disclosure, better independent verification and clearer regulatory enforcement, statements like Sowore’s will keep finding a receptive audience among Nigerians who feel they are paying more for less.

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