MTN service disruption halts business, communication in Taraba capital

13 Aug 2026, 21:30 by Great Ozozoyin · Daily Post

Communication has been brought to a standstill for millions of MTN subscribers in Jalingo, Taraba State, following a total disruption of services on the network.

The outage, which lasted for several hours on Thursday, left subscribers unable to make or receive calls, send SMS messages, or use WhatsApp and other internet-based services through the MTN network.

DAILY POST monitored the situation in parts of the state capital and observed that attempts by subscribers to make calls or access mobile data services were unsuccessful. The situation left many residents stranded and unable to communicate with relatives, business partners and customers.

The development also disrupted commercial activities, with some business owners saying they were unable to complete transactions or communicate with customers because they rely heavily on the network for their day-to-day operations.

A spare parts dealer, Uche Alexander, who spoke with DAILY POST, described the outage as unfortunate, saying the prolonged disruption had affected his business financially.

“For the past three hours, I have been finding it difficult to communicate with my business partners, and that has made me lose millions of naira,” he lamented.

Alexander called on the management of MTN to urgently investigate the cause of the outage and restore services to subscribers in Jalingo and other affected parts of the state.

Also expressing concern, Paulina Kamuel said the prolonged absence of network service had caused serious inconvenience to residents, particularly business owners who depend on telecommunications services for their daily activities.

“Majority of the people in Jalingo and the state as a whole rely on MTN, and I can tell you that a lot of businesses have been crippled in the past three or four hours that the network has disappeared,” she said.

The outage came at a time when mobile telecommunications services have become central to commercial activities, banking transactions, social communication and access to online services.

As of the time of filing this report, the specific cause of the disruption in Jalingo was not immediately known, while affected subscribers continued to await the restoration of service.

The development has also raised concerns among residents about the need for telecommunications providers to maintain reliable network infrastructure and provide timely information to subscribers whenever major service disruptions occur.

MTN service disruption halts business, communication in Taraba capital

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