MTN Denies Stealing Customers’ Data, Explains Why Bundles Finish Quickly

Abdulhameed Sherif · Business · Oct 27, 2026

MTN Nigeria has denied allegations of deliberately deducting subscribers’ data, attributing the rapid exhaustion of bundles to user habits like high-resolution streaming and background app activities. The telecom giant explained the causes during a forum in Abuja.

MTN Nigeria has firmly denied allegations of deliberately deducting subscribers’ data, attributing the rapid exhaustion of bundles to user habits and device settings instead. The clarification was made during a forum titled “Data on Trial” in Abuja, held on the sidelines of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit.

Mike Ndukwe, MTN's General Manager of Network Performance, stated, “We’re not stealing your data. However, we completely understand how it feels, especially right now, where every amount counts. But the honest answer is that data is not taken without an action, either your action or your phone.”

High-resolution video streaming, automatic downloads, background applications, and cloud backups were identified as the primary culprits. Ndukwe noted that a single 15-second TikTok video can consume between 2MB and 20MB, depending on resolution. He also highlighted that while WhatsApp text messages use little data, its Status updates, video sharing, and auto-download features can quietly drain bundles.

David Ogunsola, MTN’s General Manager of IT Operations, explained that differences of 2% to 12% can occur between the data usage displayed on a smartphone and what the network records. This is due to variations in measurement methods, background internet activities, and the timing of data sessions.

CEO Karl Toriola defended service costs, citing the significant expenses of providing electricity and transportation to network sites across Nigeria, which operate under more expensive conditions than in Europe or the US.

To help manage data, MTN advised users to disable automatic downloads, reduce video streaming quality, activate data-saving features, and monitor usage through the MyMTN app. Kevin Kojode, Northwest Sales Manager for Xiaomi Nigeria, also recommended restricting automatic updates to Wi-Fi and monitoring hotspot connections.

The event also revealed that WhatsApp has approximately 45 million users in Nigeria and that overall data consumption has risen by about 43 percent year-on-year.