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Tag: MTN

  • MTN rolls out commercial 5G network

    MTN rolls out commercial 5G network

    MTN has launched its commercial 5G network from it’s birthplace of South Africa, providing access to 100 sites across the country.

    The launch, which happened officially on Tuesday, is coming on the heels of the government’s allocation of temporary 5G spectrum to the telecoms company.

    The launch culminated from the allocation of the temporary spectrum to MTN by the government and an extensive 5G trials and testing in the country.

    “Today, from MTN’s birthplace of South Africa, we are stepping up our digital revolution with the next generation of telecommunication technology, demonstrating to all South Africans that 5G is no longer just an idea – it is here, it works and it has the capacity to bring about exponential improvements to our economy, and to the lives of the people we serve,” says MTN SA’s CEO, Godfrey Motsa.

    The 5G network from MTN will serve 100 sites, covering areas of Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.

    According to Chief Technology and Information Officer of MTN SA, Giovanni Chiarelli, the telco has been developing innovation around 5G for the past two years.

    “For the past two years we have been actively innovating around the potential of 5G, using different bands and various vendors and across different platforms and devices, to ensure MTN South Africa can maintain leadership in 5G, as we have been able to maintain our leadership in 4G.

    “Our 5G strategy has been years in the making and we are confident that we have built a strong foundation to grow and support our 5G ecosystem to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers,” he said.

    One of the key innovations driving the broad rollout by MTN has been a strategic approach to Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), as these deployments overcome the challenges of lack of dedicated 5G spectrum.

    MTN will deliver 5G connectivity on four different spectral bands: 3.5 GHz at 58 sites; 2100MHz and 1800MHz at 35 sites; 700MHz at 5 sites and 28GHz at 3 sites.

    Motsa says MTN’s rollout of its 5G network will be ramped up to even more sites once government allocates permanent spectrum through the planned auction later this year.

    “We are extremely encouraged by the release of the temporary spectrum. Our call to the regulator and government is to release permanent 4G and 5G spectrum as a matter of urgency, so that we can fuel the digital revolution our nation needs to bridge the digital divide that currently deepens the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’,” says Motsa.

    “The biggest telecommunication opportunities for the masses of South Africans, are for operators to deliver ultra-fast broadband to townships that continue to be significantly underserved by fixed line fibre services. If the spectrum is made available, the coverage is a given and the affordability can be achieved. Although we are starting relatively small our growth plans for our 5G ecosystem are huge,” Motsa said.

    5G, the new generation technology as believed, will unlock the full capabilities of next generation services such as virtual and augmented reality, ultra-high definition video streaming, artificial intelligence, robotics, automated cars, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

  • Dangote, MTN emerge most admired African brands

    For the third time in a row, Dangote Group has emerged as the most admired African brand, of African continent origin, by consumers, paired with t he telecommunication giant, MTN in a survey of 100 Africa best brands announced in a novel global virtual event that incorporated the market openings of Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.
    GT Bank returns to the top spot in financial services and the United Kingdom’s BBC retains its media category ranking as the most admired media brand in separate category sub-surveys of the most admired financial services and media brands in Africa. African brands only occupy 13 of the 100 entries, seven less from last year.
    Established 10 years ago, to coincide with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest single sporting event, the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands survey and rankings have established themselves as the most authoritative survey, analysis, and metric of brands in Africa.
    African brands only occupied 13 of the 100 entries, 7 less from last year’s. Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa and Brand Leadership, Thebe Ikalafeng during an online interactive session via Zoom said: “African brands have an important role in helping to build the image, competitiveness and transforming the continent’s promise into a real change. It’s concerning that in the 10 years since the triumphant FIFA World Cup in South Africa which globally highlighted the promise and capability of Africa, and despite the vibrant entrepreneurial environment, Africa is not creating more competitive brands to meet the needs of its growing consumer market.” Global Client Development Manager, GeoPoll, Caitlin van Niekerk said: “The reach and accessibility of mobile across the continent enabled us to survey respondents across a representative sample of countries quickly and effectively, giving us vital and timely results at a critical time. Kantar has been the insight lead for Brand Africa since inception in 2010.”
    It is a consumer-led survey which seeks to establish brand preferences across Africa. The survey is conducted among a representative sample of respondents 18 years and older, in 27 countries which collectively represent 50 per cent of the continent, covering all economic regions and accounting for an estimated 80 per cent of the population and the GDP of Africa. The 2020 survey was conducted between February and April 2020 and yielded over 15,000 brand mentions and over 2,000 unique brands
    Out of the top 100 brands in 2010/11, only half still appear in this year’s list due to mergers, acquisitions and the obsolescence of many brands. The most prominent changes are in the technology category with the demise Blackberry (#32 in 2010/11), the consolidation of Vodafone (#54 in 2010/11 and now #13 in 2020) which acquired Vodacom in 2008 and re-branded in 2011, Etisalat (#40 in 2010/11) re-branding to 9 Mobile in 2017 and Motorola (#39) being acquired by Lenovo in 2014. A Chinese brand, Tecno, has raced up the ranking from #33 to #5 in the rankings – a dominant performance for one of China’s premier global brands that are not even sold in China
    In his reaction, Group Chief Corporate Communication Officer of the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina said the management was not unexpected of the ranking because the company has a long standing reputation for quality, relevance compliance and social stewardship. “Our mission and vision engage and inspire us to by extension connects us to with both our internal and external stakeholders.
    “We fervently believe that only Africans can develop Africa, and this gives us stronger sense of relevance in all the countries where we have our operations. we are touching lives by providing their basic needs and empowering Africans more than ever before creating jobs reducing capital flight, helping government conserve foreign exchange drain by supporting different industrial infrastructural projects of African government.”
    Mr. Chiejina stated further that Dangote Cement has been producing high quality and affordable cement, reducing poverty, engaging in unprecedented philanthropy and above all respecting the laws of the land where we operate. “All these are our credo and we do not compromise it, it is our way. And the ranking is just an acknowledgement of all these by our stakeholders, We keep our brand promise and stay authentic.” he concluded
  • BREAKING: Court slams N10m against DSS in case involving Buhari’s daughter

    BREAKING: Court slams N10m against DSS in case involving Buhari’s daughter

    A Federal High Court has slammed a N10 million fine against the Department of State Services (DSS) for the 10 weeks detention of Anthony Okolie over an MTN SIM Card once used by the daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, Hanan.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, the capital of Delta State awarded the N10 million fine against the DSS on Thursday, while delivering its judgment on the SIM Card case filed by Okolie.

    Okolie was in 2019 detained for over 10 weeks following his arrest by the men of the DSS for buying and using an MTN SIM card which was previously used and abandoned by Hanan Buhari.

    After his detention, Okolie’s lawyer, Tope Akinyode, sued the DSS, MTN and Hanan, stating that the trio jointly violated his client’s fundamental human rights.

    Telecoms company, MTN, had recycled the mobile telephone number for sale after it became dormant for a long time. Okolie still has receipt he was given for the purchase of the SIM in question.

    Okolie’s lawyer had urged the court to award monetary compensation of N500 million jointly or severally against the defendants.

    However, in his ruling, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba slammed the N10 million fine against the DSS for illegally detaining Okolie.

  • Telecoms: Is MTN leaving Nigeria?, By Okoh Aihe

    Telecoms: Is MTN leaving Nigeria?, By Okoh Aihe

    By Okoh Aihe

    Penultimate Wednesday I received two calls from the UK with both callers asking the same question: Is MTN leaving Nigeria? Why are they dumping 15 per cent of their shares in the market at this time?

    There was no ready answer for the questions but I played for time. Having been a journalist for most of my life and just over a decade in government in a related sector, they probably ascribed to me the uncanny propensity, more than capacity, to respond to questions even if they came in my sleep.

    I also understand the concerns of the voices from the UK. MTN by far is the largest telecoms operation in the country. A number of times the company has been accused by even the most informed of making too much money from Nigeria and remitting same to the country of origin. In our part of the world, emotions can make a compelling case. MTN has often been hurt in the process, without expected sympathy. In other instances, MTN has also landed in the wrong side of the law causing the organization to bleed agonizingly in terms of hefty fines.

    But times have changed, without notice. The COVID 19 pandemic has sent the markets all over the world into a spiral to the extent that nearly all the major exchanges have had to quickly close shops or suspend trading in order not to completely obliterate the value of their markets and send priced stocks to worthless junks. Even what used to be the safest of havens are scrambling for the survival of human life before paying attention to the safety of trade. Financial life jackets are been proposed by countries with the capacity to do so but that will be after humanity has found a space in a very turbulent world.

    I played for time. Within the intervening period my mind went into frightening introspection of the telecommunications industry, the industry I reported for a decade and half before a glorious opportunity to work at the regulatory agency. I am looking at the faces of my colleagues who endured all kinds of travails to write the industry into existence, and sometimes having to go to some far ends of the world to source those stories.

    We knew when the telecoms subscription figures were very shameful. We also knew when the figures shot up astronomically, shaming all projections and giving Nigeria a much deserved pride and opportunity to raise her head in the comity of nations as a country blazing a trail in modern telecoms development. In fact, actually pointing the way to a number of African countries.

    You see, barracuda sounds musical in the ears but just a little mistake, the barracuda, properly seasoned, becomes very tasty fish especially when eaten at a restaurant overlooking the sea which used to be its abode.

    Introspections can be scaring. But this looks temptingly illuminating. Even then my verdict is bleak! With all the noise, with all the documented achievements in preceding years, the telecommunications industry is not strong on ground. Just a little mistake the industry can go crashing down and taking so many other sectors with it. The barracuda makes a good meal but such a rout in telecoms and sundry industries can only be confined to the imagination for its seismic impact, not savory at all.

    Where will the mistake come from?

    My first response to the above question is: if the regulator is shaved of its regulatory strength and independence.

    Can such ever happen in Nigeria, a country that was hailed globally as a shining paradigm of a deregulated telecoms market?

    That was in the days of yore. Speaking on April 5, 2020, on Channels Television, concerning 5G as a direct cause of coronavirus, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, kept saying I have directed the NCC to….Does a Minister have the powers to direct the Regulator?

    Chapter 16 of the Federal Government Public Service Rules which defines the nature of Government Parastatals, their Board and relationship with supervising Ministry, provides some assistance. Two points to note. (1) A Board shall not be involved directly in the day-to-day management of a Parastatal. (2) A Minister exercise control of Parastatals at Policy level through the Board of the Parastatal only.

    Even without going to the point of law which so many of us don’t have the capacity to, as unlearned lot, the aforementioned provides a cushion of independence for any Parastatal especially under a democracy. However, there is further elucidation and reinforcement in the Act setting up each Parastatal as in the case of the NCC.

    Chapter 3 of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 which deals with the Functions of the Minister and National Frequency Management Council, states very clearly: The Minister shall have the following responsibilities and functions pursuant to this Act – (a) the formulation, determination and monitoring, of the general policy for the communications sector in Nigeria with a view to ensuring, amongst others, the utilization of the sector as a platform for the economic and social development of Nigeria; (b) the negotiation and execution of international communications treaties and agreements, on behalf of Nigeria, between sovereign countries and international organisations; (c) the representation of Nigeria, in conjunction with the Commission, at proceedings of international organisations and fora on matters relating to communications.

    Where will the mistake come from?

    The Communications Act has no place for the Ministry to encumber the Commission. It is very anomalous therefore for a Minister to dish out others to the regulatory authority without the world taking keen interest in his utterances and what they mean to their invested funds. The Act has no place for the Minister to make regulatory statements for the industry without the industry taking conscious notice of it. Such actions that may look innocuous superficially and sometimes enthusiastically received because of their social relevance may become very detrimental on the long run and should therefore be nipped before becoming infectious.

    What does this have to do with MTN leaving Nigeria? And is MTN leaving Nigeria?

    Simple. Operators in an environment including MTN would always watch out for miniscule landmines that would blow up a sector on the long run and begin to make strategic plans. To finally address the question whether MTN is exiting the Nigeria market. I have done a little search within the hierarchy of the organization; the answer I got is No. MTN remains in Nigeria for the long haul but is currently looking at the Scoreboard and Dashboard in the manner of Todd Henry in Herding Tigers to determine its long term survivability and profitability while widening its base of ownership.

    To address the exit issue more directly, recall that over a time there was pressure even from the National Assembly on the Nigerian mobile operators to list at the country’s Exchange by way of allowing more Nigerians to have a stake in their business. On Thursday, May 16, 2019, MTN accepted that challenge by doing a flotation of 20. 35 billion shares worth about $6bn at N90 per share. In taking that action MTN became the first mobile operator to scale the rigorous rules of the Security and Exchange Commission. This development was excitedly received in the business community with the Chief Executive of the NSE, Mr Oscar Onyema inviting other operators to emulate MTN. Within a couple of days the shares were heading to the skies. Given the opportunity, most operators would want to continue to sip from that tantalizing honeypot. I was reliably informed that in a market of abundant possibilities, especially when properly regulated, MTN by releasing another 15 per cent of its shares, has activated its next line of action to attract investors to take some more pieces of their business.

    That also means sharing the risk. Take a little bit of the business with coated vanishing sugar; take some of the risk that may hurt sometimes.

     

    Okoh Aihe writes from Lagos

  • COVID-19: Subscribers ask MTN, Glo, Airtel, others to slash tariffs to enhance info flow

    COVID-19: Subscribers ask MTN, Glo, Airtel, others to slash tariffs to enhance info flow

    Some consumers, under the aegis of Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS), have called on telecommunications companies in the country to reduce tariffs for voice, data and other services.

    The consumers said this had become imperative due to current challenges and disruption triggered by Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) as well as the need to ease information flow.

    Speaking on their behalf, the National President of the ATCIS, Sina Bilesanmi, made the call in a statement in Lagos on Monday.

    Bilesanmi urged telecom operators to be patriotic and not exploit the challenges caused by the global pandemic as an opportunity to make more money off their subscribers.

    He explained that people and business organisations had now resorted to remote operations, as they now contend with movement restrictions.

    Bilesanmi added that everyone had been left with voice calls, Short Message Service (SMS) and data services to keep up with daily business trends, social realities and information flow regarding COVID-19.

    “With self-isolation and Federal Government’s lockdown to contain the spread of the virus, these measures will naturally lead to changes in consumers’ behaviours.

    “These changes are reflected in the upsurge in the usage of collaborative tools to communicate, to do business and work from home as well as e-learning starting from primary, secondary to tertiary institutions.

    “However, the situation at hand is a very delicate one and the only way we can have a breakthrough is by prioritising patriotism above personal gains and gratifications.

    “Everyone is caught almost unprepared by COVID-19, forcing us to abandon our places of work to performing our duties at home,” Bilesanmi said.

    He noted that no one would be able to work remotely, unless there is access to telecommunications services for voice and data.

    Bilesanmi said that the period might appear as a good time for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to make more money as rate of spending on voice and data multiplies.

    He, however, urged the operators not to see the period as an opportunity to increase profit margin.

    “Our telecoms service providers, especially MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others, should see this time as an opportunity for them to further exhibit their value as responsible corporate citizens by slashing tariffs.

    “At this point, people rely on data or telecoms services generally to obtain necessary information about the pandemic, especially regarding prevention tips and necessary steps to take in the event of suspected cases.

    “Affordable access, undoubtedly, will connect the people to responders, including police, fire service, health workers, among others.

    “We, therefore, call on the operators to support the fight against the deadly virus by cutting tariffs or create special bundles for subscribers to lessen the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 on individuals,” he said.

    Bilesanmi also called for collaboration between the customers and telecoms operators, saying that if the virus must be defeated, access to telecoms services must not only be available but also affordable.

  • Court strikes out MTN’s N3bn suit against AGF Malami

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday struck out a N3bn fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by telecommunications firm, MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd, against the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

    Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke made the order following a resolution of a $2billion dispute between MTN and the Federal Government.

    MTN had filed the suit to challenge an August 20, 2018 letter written to it by the AGF, demanding $2bn in alleged unremitted tax.

    But the minister told the judge through his counsel Habibat Ajana that the AGF had reviewed the issue and withdrawn the demand letter via a January 8, 2020 letter to MTN.

    MTN’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), said having withdrawn demand letter, his client would drop its suit against the AGF.

    Consequently, Justice Aneke struck out the suit.

    In the suit, MTN had prayed the court to award N3bn against the AGF for rights infringement.

    Olanipekun had argued that in writing the demand letter to MTN, Malami acted beyond his powers and violated the provisions of Section 36 of the Constitution on fair hearing with “the purported revenue assets investigation” he carried out on the firm’s activities covering 2007 to 2017.

    The court had on May 8, 2019 ruling dismissed AGF’s preliminary objection to the suit.

  • How banks forced us to charging customers for USSD transactions – MTN

    Leading GSM network provider, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has said it was never its intention to charge banking customers for financial transactions carried out through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) on its lines every 20 seconds.

    Last Sunday, the company came under heavy attacks on social media as a result of text messages it sent out to its subscribers, informing them that the use of USSD for banking operations would attract N4 per 20 seconds from Monday, October 21, 2019.

    The federal government, through the Ministry of Communications, after the criticisms, directed MTN Nigeria to suspend the proposed collection of a fee for USSD.

    In a statement issued on Thursday, MTN Nigeria said it in fact urged the banks not to pass the bill on its customers, but should maintain the previous corporate billing plan.

    MTN Nigeria said it resisted the calls for end-user billing, emphasising that it only “relented after exhausting avenues of engagement with the banks in pursuit of a model that enabled a single charge.”

    According to the company, “We believe separate charges by the banks and telecoms companies are an unnecessary burden on the consumer especially the target group that the National Financial Inclusion Strategy is aimed at.”

    It noted that though the charges have been suspended, it looks forward to collaborating with the financial institutions and other stakeholders and would be glad to implement the decisions approved by regulators.

    Below is the full statement from MTN Nigeria

    We at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (MTN Nigeria) approach every day with one primary objective – finding ways to make our customers lives a little easier; which is why we will focus on what really matters, our customers.

    They are the reason we made transparency and simplicity central to the recent drawn-out engagements with the banks over USSD access charges and how they should be applied.

    Following consultation with industry stakeholders, customer feedback and media reports related to the message notifying our customers of upcoming changes in our charging model for access to banking services via the USSD channel, we wish to confirm that the new charging model has not gone into effect.

    The situation has made it necessary to restate that MTN Nigeria, in line with our company policy will always be transparent in our dealings with customers, the industry and relevant regulatory bodies. The SMS notification to our customers is reflective of this commitment and was sent after formal requests received from individual banks as well as the body of Bank CEOs to implement end-user billing – a billing methodology where the customer is directly charged USSD access fees irrespective of the service charges that the bank may subsequently apply to their bank account.

    It should be noted that the banks had up-till now been on a corporate billing plan — where a corporate client, the provider of the service that is accessed through the USSD channel (in this case the bank), pays the access fees at a wholesale price.

    We believe the costs associated with USSD banking services should be charged to the consumer only once – as with other USSD based services we provide, which we believe has been adequately provisioned for within existing Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) guidelines.

    It is in fact in line with the National Financial Inclusion Strategy of the Federal Government that we resisted the calls for end-user billing. We relented only after exhausting avenues of engagement with the banks in pursuit of a model that enabled a single charge. We believe separate charges by the banks and telecoms companies are an unnecessary burden on the consumer especially the target group that the National Financial Inclusion Strategy is aimed at.

    With this in mind, it is imperative for all parties to approach the table and engage constructively towards a solution, putting the consumer at the fore of all decisions.

    The banks have been and still are our esteemed customers and valued partners. We look forward to collaborating with them and other stakeholders and will be glad to implement the decisions approved by our Regulators.

  • CBN opposes MTN’s planned charges

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has opposed plans by MTN to charge its subscribers for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) access to banking services from Oct. 21.

    The Governor of CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, gave the bank’s position at a news briefing by the Nigerian delegation to the just-concluded World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings, in Washington on Sunday.

    MTN, in an SMS message to its subscribers, had said the decision was on the request of the banks and would take effect from Oct. 21.

    “Yello, as requested by your bank, from Oct. 21, we will start charging you directly for USSD access to banking services. Please contact your bank for more information,’’ the message said.

    Responding to a question seeking his reaction to the announcement, the CBN governor said the bank would not allow that to happen.

    “About five, four months ago, I held a meeting with some telecom companies as well as the leading banks in Nigeria at Central Bank, Lagos.

    “At that time, we came to the conclusion that the use of USSD is a sunk cost. What we mean by a sunk cost is that it is not an additional cost on the infrastructure of the telecom company.

    “But the telecom companies disagreed with us, they said it is an additional investment on infrastructure and for that reason they needed to impose it.

    “I have told the banks that we will not allow this to happen. The banks are the people who give this business to the telecom companies and I leave the banks and the telecom companies to engage.

    “I have told the banks that they have to move their business, move their traffic to a telecom company that is ready to provide it at the lowest possible if not zero cost.

    “And that is where we stand, and we must achieve it,’’ he said.

    The transactions to be affected by the charges include intra – and inter-bank money transfers, through USSD, among others.

  • USSD: Nigerians angry as MTN introduces N4 charge for banking services

    • FG distances self from new USSD charge

    Nigerians were on Sunday aggrieved as Nigeria telecommunication operator, MTN introduces new charge for customers who use unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) channels to access banking services.

    According to the message that was sent by MTN to its users, the new charge is to commence on October 21, 2019.

    The message reads: “Please note that from Oct 21, we will charge N4 per 20 seconds for USSD access to banking services. Thank you,” a notification sent by MTN to customers read.

    FG reacts: orders suspension of the new USSD charges
    Meanwhile, the federal government has reacted to the news on the new USSD charge.
    In a statement released by, Uwa Suleiman, Spokesperson to the Minister of Communications, the Federal Ministry of Communications directed that the said new charges be suspended until the Hon. Minister is fully and properly briefed.
    The statement reads, “The attention of the Federal Ministry of Communications has been drawn to the viral text message allegedly sent by the Mobile Network Operator, MTN Nigeria and other mobile operators notifying subscribers of an (N4.00) charge per 20 seconds on USSD access to banking services from the 21st of October 2019.

    The office of the Hon. Minister of Communications Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, FNCS, FBCS, FIIM is unaware of this development and has hereby directed the sector regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ensures the operator suspends such plans until the Hon. Minister is fully and properly briefed.”

    Already, the development has elicited reactions from customers. Here are some of the reactions from Twitter.

  • DSTV, Shoprite resume business

    DSTV, Shoprite resume business

    Business activities have resumed at various firms owned by South African nationals in Lagos. Our correspondents who went to Lekki, Surulere, observed that many of the outlets opened for business.

    At the Shoprite centre in Lekki, It was observed that business activities went on unhindered as it did, before the reprisal attacks.

    PEP at Ogba is back with customers engaging in shopping.

    At Bode Thomas in Surulere, the DSTV office was also open for business; a staff also confirmed they resumed work nationwide on Sunday.

    He noted that some branches reopened on Saturday, but stressed that by Sunday morning all branches had reopened.

    Although the office was looking well set and activities going on smoothly, the workers told our correspondent that thugs last week went away with some television sets and damaged some valuables.

    “Those hoodlums entered, scattered the whole place, damaged our air conditioner outside, forcefully removed one of the television on the slab and smashed it on the floor. We all ran for our lives. The police later came and chased them away.

    “We are back now, activities have commenced, you are safe here,” he said.

    Our reporter saw that the PEP shop and the two MTN offices on Bode Thomas Road were not open. The hoodlums ransacked the place and damaged things in the shops.

    At Shoprite in Surulere, activities have reopened, but our reporter observed that some shops were still locked.