Millions of MTN customers in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, were left without mobile communications for several hours on Thursday after a complete network outage halted calls, messaging and internet access.
Network failure leaves subscribers disconnected
Customers in parts of Jalingo were unable to use MTN services, with failed attempts to place calls or connect to mobile data. The disruption affected a range of everyday communication tools:
- Incoming and outgoing voice calls were unavailable.
- Subscribers could not send SMS messages.
- WhatsApp and other internet-dependent services could not be accessed through the network.
The breakdown left residents unable to reach relatives, commercial contacts and customers. It also interrupted business activity, as several operators said their daily work depends heavily on reliable mobile connectivity.
Businesses report financial losses
Uche Alexander, a spare-parts trader, described the incident as damaging and said the extended loss of service had caused him financial harm. He said he had spent roughly three hours struggling to contact business partners, a problem he believed had cost him millions of naira.
Alexander urged MTN’s management to establish what caused the failure and quickly restore coverage in Jalingo and other affected locations across Taraba State.
Paulina Kamuel also said the outage had created substantial hardship, especially for business owners whose routine operations rely on telecommunications. She said MTN serves most people in Jalingo and elsewhere in the state, adding that many businesses had effectively been brought to a halt during the three- to four-hour disappearance of the network.
Outage highlights dependence on telecoms
The interruption occurred as mobile services play an increasingly important role in commercial dealings, banking, personal communication and access to digital platforms.
When the report was prepared, no definitive explanation for the Jalingo disruption had been provided. Subscribers affected by the failure were still waiting for service to return.
The incident has renewed calls for telecommunications companies to strengthen the reliability of their network infrastructure and give customers prompt information when major outages occur.
