Business

Telecommunication operators across Nigeria have warned that network services could deteriorate further in the coming days unless security agencies urgently address the rising spate of vandalism and theft of telecom infrastructure.
The operators, under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), expressed deep concern over what they described as an alarming wave of sabotage, which they say is crippling the nation’s digital backbone and undermining billions of naira in new investments.

According to Vanguard, some telcos have recently admitted that their network performance has been subpar, but insist that the blame lies squarely on growing insecurity, not operational inefficiency.

“At the wake of the marginal price adjustment that the NCC approved for the sector, we promised to optimize our networks to give Nigerians a very robust service,” said a top official of a leading mobile network operator who asked not to be named.

“But what we are seeing after making such huge investments is that vandals are carting away our facilities without a challenge and selling them in open markets. That’s why services are a bit poor and that is why, if nothing is done urgently, it will get worse.”

He added that critical improvements made to enhance user experience, including signal quality and data speed, are being eroded by rampant theft and destruction of telecom assets across the country.

In a joint statement signed by ALTON Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, and Publicity Secretary, Damian Udeh, the group lamented that despite the Federal Government’s earlier efforts to support industry sustainability, criminals are frustrating progress.

“Since the Federal Government’s decisive interventions earlier this year, our members have committed unprecedented levels of investment in network optimisation and capacity upgrades,” ALTON said.

“New systems are being deployed, transmission equipment modernised, power systems overhauled, and thousands of kilometres of fibre optic networks are currently being laid and expanded. Our industry has not seen this scale of investment in recent years.”

Widespread Vandalism Crippling Telecom Infrastructure
According to ALTON, between May and July 2025, multiple incidents of vandalism were recorded across cell sites in Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Ekiti, Lagos, the FCT, and many other states.

“These acts of sabotage have significantly disrupted network services, causing widespread connectivity blackouts, leading to degradation of services and severely impacting millions of subscribers,” it stated.

Stolen items from telecom sites include power cables, fibre optic cables, rectifiers, diesel generators, batteries, and solar systems, which are critical to network stability.

The association noted that these materials are being openly resold for domestic use or traded in black markets, aggravating the situation.

“Solar panels are stripped from telecom sites and resold to unsuspecting households, while diesel fuel siphoned from sites is traded on the grey market,” ALTON further noted.

ALTON disclosed that the highest number of attacks occurred in Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Lagos, Kogi, Kaduna, Niger, Osun, Kwara, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“These attacks have led to prolonged downtimes, network congestion, widespread blackouts, and degradation of service quality,” the group stated, expressing worry about the growing black market for stolen telecom equipment and calling on Nigerians to regard telecom assets as national infrastructure deserving protection.

“These assets serve us all; they enable our banking systems, security infrastructure, emergency response, education, health services, and the very platforms that power daily communication. An attack on telecom infrastructure is an attack on our economy and our security,” it added.

Road Construction Activities Worsen Outages
In addition to vandalism, the telecoms body flagged another major disruption, damage to underground fibre optic cables caused by road construction projects and civil works along highways and urban roads.

“These activities have led to significant service outages and financial losses,” the Telcos noted.

ALTON called on key security stakeholders to intervene swiftly to protect vital telecom assets.

“We call on the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director General of the DSS, and the Commandant General of the NSCDC to immediately deploy the necessary resources to protect telecommunications infrastructure and prevent a total breakdown of communications across the country,” it stated.

Describing the situation as “desperate and urgent,” the group called for coordinated national action involving federal, state and local governments, regulators, the media, civil society, and the general public.

“Our national security, economic stability, and digital future depend on it. The time to act is now,” ALTON concluded.