Nigeria Threatens Retaliation on MTN over South Africa's Blockade of Arms Deal

South African President Jacob Zuma flanked by Nigeria friends
 and opposition leaders, Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu,during
 latters recent visit to Zuma in J'burg.

Nigeria on Wednesday has accused South Africa of blocking a legal arms purchase and threatened retaliation against major South African companies, including telecom giant MTN Nigeria, if the row is not resolved.

A top official in the office of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser told Agence France-Presse that the country had an agreement to buy $5.7 million worth of military hardware in a deal brokered by a South African firm.

The official, who asked that his name be withheld, said Pretoria had frozen cash that had been wired to the South African firm’s account.

South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority made no immediate comment, but the asset freeze has been widely reported in both Nigerian and South African media.

“The issue could affect bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa,” the NSA official said.

He specifically mentioned MTN, a South Africa-based mobile phone and Internet provider with tens of millions of subscribers in Nigeria, as a company that could be targeted in tit-for-tat reprisals.

“You cannot be making so much money from Nigeria and then turn around and embarrass the people,” the Nigerian official said.

He said Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan had called his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma to inform him about the purchase and Abuja was therefore surprised to learn that the deal had been blocked.

Zuma’s spokesman Mac Maharaj declined to comment on the reported conversation between the two leaders, but told AFP the president was not part of the committee that reviews arms deals.

The NSA official did not identify the South African broker.

The website of South Africa’s City Press named the firm as the Cape Town-based Cerberus Risk Solutions but that could not be independently verified.

The development comes three weeks after South African customs officials seized $9.3 million in cash stashed in the luggage of two Nigerians and an Israeli.

Source: Punch