DAILY POST reports that following the fine imposed on MTN by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, for having about 5 million unregistered SIMs in its network, it started another round of SIM cards registration in the country to meet up with the January deadline.
At the Garki II, Lagos street MTN outlet, a Yoruba-speaking Muslim woman covered with hijab, refused security search at the entrance to the registration centre.
A police officer, who was acting on instructions to check every customer before they gained access into the office, told DAILY POST that, "This woman is a suspect.
"How can you come to a public place dressed like this and you expect to gain access into an office that is not yours?
"No one knows what she has under her veil. She may be carrying a bomb, who knows?
"This is the reason why we insisted on searching her and she claimed she is a Minister's wife," the officer told DAILY POST.
Zainab, the front desk Manager, said the unidentified woman asked to be privately attended to as she cannot unveil herself in public.
According to her, "The woman asked me to register her in a private room because she cannot remove her veil. I told her it is not in any way possible and after pleading, I asked her, "what if I want to take your photo during the registration?"
Zainab said the supposed Minister's wife also declined and asked for the registration to be done without her snap shot. She said the woman later asked that she sought permission from her husband before she can unveil her face for the registration process to be completed.
The woman, having caused a stir in the outlet with eyebrows raised, disorganized queues with her insistence and left mouths wagging. She told DAILY POST that she will make sure she deals with 'this so-called police officer.'
"I will show you," she added.
Speaking further, she said, "I want to do this registration thing and they say I must open my veil, which I cannot do because it is against my belief.
"I managed to gain access into the office after several embarrassments from these police guard. When I got in, the MTN officials said I needed to open up my face for a snap shot to complete my registration process which I had not even started.
"I just came out to take permission from my husband, whether or not I should unveil myself, before this police woman said if I go out, I won't be allowed to go back into the office unless I am thoroughly searched," she said.
