It was all chaos at the bustling Shoprite Gateway mall in Abuja as network shutdown from multiple banks left shoppers frustrated and stranded for hours on Friday.
Digital transactions became paralyzed, business and bank online payment and internet communications grounded to a halt.
Africa Health Report had earlier reported that it was due to damages suffered by undersea cables.
The unexpected glitch occurred during peak shopping hours, causing chaos and confusion among customers unable to complete their transactions.
The situation quickly escalated as shoppers reached the point of payment, only to be met with requests from cashiers to either fetch cash from ATMs or abandon their purchases.
Customers, particularly those with accounts at Access Bank and GT Bank, attempted to use various payment methods, only to be met with declining bank cards and unresponsive mobile payment apps.
This incident came as a result of widespread internet service disruptions that hit Nigeria and several other Western and Central African countries, including Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Niger.
Providing some explanations for the incident, NCC said, major undersea cables crucial for telecommunications data, such as the West Africa Cable System (WACS), MainOne, and ACE, were all affected by the shutdown.
The impact of this network shutdown on daily activities, particularly in a bustling mall like the Shoprite Gateway, was severe. Shoppers expressed frustration and anger, as what should have been a routine shopping trip turned into a nightmare of delays and abandoning coveted items.
