Xenophobic Attacks: MTN shop attacked in Akwa Ibom

Some youth Tuesday afternoon attacked an MTN shop in Uyo, Nigeria’s South-South, in apparent retaliation to the continuous xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa.

The attackers, a handful of local boys, pushed their way through the crowded shop along the busy Ikot Ekpene Road around 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, and destroyed the glass door and windows, a saleswoman at
the shop told PREMIUM TIMES.

“They ordered people out, destroyed computers, and took away cash and customers’ phones,” she said. “We ran away through the backdoor to safety.”

Nobody was hurt in the incident.

It is not yet clear if the attack was an isolated incident in the city, as local authorities and the police are yet to speak on the incident.

The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko MacDon, did not immediately respond to calls and text message from PREMIUM TIMES.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the police in Lagos foiled an attack on a Shoprite mall.

Shoprite, like MTN, is a major South African business in Nigeria.