Nigeria blocks 73 million mobile phones in security clampdown

Nigeria is among dozens of African countries including Ghana, Egypt and Kenya with SIM registration laws that authorities say are necessary for security purposes, but digital rights experts say it increases surveillance and hurts privacy. — AFP Relaxnews

OWERRI, Nigeria: Constance Chioma calls her son every morning to check that he is safe while studying in northeast Nigeria, a region plagued by deadly attacks by insurgents and armed kidnappings.

Earlier this month, she could not get through.