By Pascal Ibe
Introduction
MTN Nigeria on Saturday gifted its subscribers a 25GB data anniversary giveaway but urged customers to use only its official platforms to access the promotion.
This is to mark 25 years of operating in Nigeria.
MTN said the official 25GB data anniversary giveaway is available only through the MyMTN NG App and the MTN eShop.
The telecommunications company also allowed its customers to make a first five minutes free call on Saturday.
Nigerians have since reacted to the MTN anniversary offers. While some expressed gratitude for the anniversary offer, others complained of network glitches that hindered them from receiving the free data offer.
Claim
However, there is a viral statement attributed to MTN which claimed that the people who received the free 25GB data, would now be charged a total of N9,000.
The statement attributed to MTN reads, “We wish to inform our valued customers that everyone who claimed the free 25GB on the 8th of August 2026 will be charged a total of N9,000.
“This was due to a system glitch on our part. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.
“Please note that everyone’s debt will be reflected in their account as from 12th of August 2026.
“For further information, call 123 or dial *312#.”
A Facebook page, Calabargist, shared the statement attributed to MTN with a caption that reads, “Shocking statements from MTN after trending free 25gb data as they celebrate 25 years of existence.”
Also, an X user, @S_kyy∅∅1, posted the statement and wrote, “MTN Abeg oooo, which one be say Una go collect 9k Untop gift 🎁 wey Una give us💔😂”
The viral statement was also shared here
Verification
However, when FACTWATCH Nigeria reached out to the MTN Customer Care Representative (CCR) on Sunday evening via phone call, MTN disowned the statement and labelled it as “fake news ”.
This fact-checker searched the official Facebook and X pages of MTN but did not find any statement/comment which corroborated this claim to be true.
We only found reports that MTN warned Nigerians against the 25GB data scams which started since the anniversary on Saturday.
MTN Nigeria warned subscribers against fake 25GB anniversary giveaway offers circulating online, urging customers to use only its official platforms to access the promotion.
An MTN customer, Lawrence Ugwu, who received the free anniversary 25GB data, told FACTWATCH Nigeria that he has not received any message from the telecommunications company regarding the statement to charge the beneficiaries N9,000 afterwards.
Verdict
The statement attributed to MTN, which claims that it is charging N9,000 from the beneficiaries of free anniversary data, is FALSE, according to findings.
