By Juliet Umeh

MTN Nigeria has confirmed that it recently experienced a cyber attack but reassured customers, partners, and stakeholders that its core infrastructure remains uncompromised. The company emphasized that Nigeria was not affected by the incident.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the telecommunications giant disclosed that it detected “unauthorised activity” on its network systems and responded swiftly to isolate and contain the breach.

According to Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, preliminary investigations indicate that although the attackers attempted to disrupt services, critical systems—such as customer data and core operations—were not impacted.

Toriola stated: “We take cybersecurity very seriously and have robust systems in place to detect, isolate, and neutralize threats. Although this attack attempted to breach our defenses, our security protocols worked as intended, and our core infrastructure remains secure.”

While MTN did not disclose the specific nature or origin of the attack, industry experts have noted that telecom operators across Africa are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals due to their expansive user bases and the continent’s fast-growing digital economy.

A reliable source within MTN confirmed that Nigeria was not among the regions affected by the incident, further affirming the integrity of local operations.

The incident comes amid Nigeria’s ongoing digital transformation drive, which places increasing pressure on service providers to fortify cybersecurity frameworks. MTN has assured stakeholders that it is collaborating with relevant authorities and cybersecurity consultants to thoroughly investigate the breach and enhance system resilience.