South African-owned telecommunication company, MTN, has refuted viral reports that two of its officials were among people killed by gunmen in a recent attack in Imo State, Nigeria.
Some unknown gunmen were reported to have ambushed and killed at least three personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Monday at Ekelsu Market, in Obiangwu, a community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the state.
In a subsequent update, an official of the NSCDC told reporters that two other civilians who according to him are officials of the MTN Nigeria were also killed during the attack.
In a statement, however, issued on Tuesday, MTN Nigeria said it was not true that its officials were among those killed in the attack.
“Whilst we empathise with the grieving families and the NSCDC affected by this tragic incident, we wish to correct the reports that two MTN officials were also killed in the incident. We can confirm that no MTN officials were hurt during the incident,” the telecommunication company noted in a statement made available to newsmen.
The company said it was “deeply saddened” by the killing of the NSCDC personnel and two others killed in the attack, but that they were not its employees.
“MTN Nigeria remains committed to the safety and security of our staff in all our operations across the country.
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“We place the utmost importance on the safety and security of our staff, customers, and the communities in which we operate, and will continue to work with relevant authorities in this regard,” the statement obtained by Premium Times added.
