MTN Nigeria is at the centre of a growing public debate over why mobile data sometimes runs out faster than subscribers expect. The question has become particularly pressing for the operator’s 100 million subscribers, as separate legal actions and threats of lawsuits emerge from Nigerian subscribers and lawyers who allege the rapid or unexplained depletion of large data bundles.

The demand for answers has intensified following recent telecom tariff increases, which have raised the cost of mobile data. Subscribers have also expressed frustration when bundles expected to last a month are exhausted within a week. Public complaints on social media have encouraged more users to raise similar concerns.

The issue has gained importance as internet access becomes increasingly central to daily life. As of June 2026, about 82% of Nigeria’s 192.2 million telecom subscribers—approximately 157 million people—were online. That figure continues to grow alongside digital adoption and wider broadband coverage. Nigeria also recorded its highest monthly data consumption to date in June, at 1.53 million terabytes.

For Nigerians across different demographics, mobile data supports online learning, communication, academic research, social media, entertainment, digital payments, remote work, streaming and small businesses. These services are used at a time when housing, transportation and food account for about 70% to 90% of an average Nigerian worker’s salary, leaving little or nothing for savings or emergencies. For minimum-wage earners, those three essential expenses sometimes exceed total income, increasing reliance on debt, side hustles or family support.

As a result, subscribers are expected to continue questioning data depletion they consider unexplained. They want telecom operators to show how data is deducted and whether the deductions accurately correspond to their usage.

At the same time, data revenue has become a significant contributor to telecom operators’ overall earnings. During the first half of the year, MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria generated a combined ₦2.4 trillion in data revenue, contributing to growth in service revenue and profits. TechNext24 previously reported on MTN Nigeria’s ₦545.89 billion dividend payment to 203,000 shareholders for H1 2026.

MTN Nigeria’s “Data on Trial” initiative in June was the company’s first major effort to improve public understanding of mobile data consumption and billing. The operator said there had been no billing glitch or data theft and that KPMG had subjected its systems to external scrutiny.

Chief Executive Officer Karl Toriola said 4G and 5G speeds, newer smartphones and default high-definition settings can increase consumption of images, audio and video. He also identified continuous cloud and WhatsApp background backups as major causes of rapid bundle depletion.

MTN Ghana CEO Stephen Blewett later joined the discussion. He said TikTok consumes data quickly because the application automatically preloads upcoming videos in the background while users watch the current video. His comments were reported in connection with TikTok’s data consumption on MTN Ghana’s network.

Despite those explanations, complaints appeared to gain momentum after June’s “Data on Trial”. MTN Nigeria subscribers used social media to question why their data appeared to be disappearing faster than expected.

The operator’s latest response has raised questions about whether it understands what subscribers are asking for. As an extension of the June initiative, MTN decided to take “Data on Trial” to selected universities nationwide, bringing the mock courtroom format to students.

The first session took place on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. It addressed student complaints about rapid data depletion and billing transparency. Law and Engineering students acted as the prosecution in the mock courtroom, while MTN employees formed the defence team. MTN said it planned to hold similar sessions at other universities as an attempt to demonstrate accountability and test its integrity.

However, the central concern among Nigerian subscribers is not necessarily whether they can afford to buy data, despite difficult economic conditions. They are seeking an explanation and accountability for data-depletion calculations they consider unusual.

MTN has explained that high-speed networks, auto-play functions and background applications can consume data. The broader question from subscribers, however, is whether the amount deducted from their bundles accurately corresponds to the traffic generated.

Beyond “Data on Trial” and other awareness efforts that repeat the same explanations, subscribers want MTN to clarify how data intended to last for a year could be exhausted within three months. They also want the explanation presented in a way that every subscriber can understand.

The initiative is unlikely to resolve perceptions of data theft while Nigerians continue to demand explanations on social media for what they describe as unethical data deductions. Claims of disappearing data have increased in recent months and may continue.

In an ongoing legal dispute discussed on X, Nigerian lawyer and MTN Nigeria subscriber Zaenab Olawunmi Adams, Esq, challenged the reported depletion of 708.55GB from an 800GB annual data allocation in 104 days. She requested detailed records showing how the data was consumed. The dispute was also covered in a TechNext24 report on the lawyer’s demand for answers.

In a formal complaint submitted to MTN Customer Care on August 27, 2026, Zaenab, a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, said she subscribed to MTN’s 800GB annual data plan for ₦125,000 on May 15, 2026. She argued that the depletion rate was unusual and warranted an investigation into the accuracy and integrity of MTN’s data-accounting system.

A similar complaint had been made weeks earlier by Bashir Ahmad, the Special Assistant on Digital Communications to former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. His complaint concerned an SMS from MTN Nigeria stating that he had used 58.83GB of data through the cellular network on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

The matter generated further concern after MTN’s daily data report initially sent customers an inflated total for consumption on Tuesday, August 11, before issuing another report with corrected figures. TechNext24 also reported on the MTN Nigeria data-depletion report.

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has also led protests and issued ultimatums over rapid data depletion. During the “Occupy MTN” protest, Sowore accused MTN Nigeria and other telecom operators of rapid and unexplained data exhaustion, calling them “data thieves”.

MTN, Nigeria’s leading operator, now faces calls to offer a different response. Its 100 million subscribers want a new and genuine explanation. The company must return to the drawing board and ensure that its explanations are supported by clear, subscriber-level records showing when and how each bundle deduction occurred. The unresolved issue is not only how much data applications consume, but whether customers can independently verify that the figures reported against their plans accurately reflect that usage.