Telecom Operators Warn of Worsening Services Amid Vandalism Surge

On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, telecom operators in Nigeria, under the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), warned that persistent vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure could lead to further deterioration of services, impacting critical sectors like banking, education, and security. In a statement signed by ALTON Chairman Engr. Gbenga Adebayo and Publicity Secretary Mr. Damian Udeh, the association expressed alarm over incidents recorded between May and July 2025 across states including Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Ekiti, Lagos, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Edo, Kaduna, Niger, Kwara, and the Federal Capital Territory. A top official from a major mobile network operator, speaking anonymously to Hi-Tech, noted that despite significant investments in network optimization following a Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)-approved marginal price adjustment, vandals are stealing critical components like power cables, rectifiers, fiber optic cables, diesel generators, batteries, and solar panels, which are sold in open markets for inverters and illicit trade.

These acts have caused widespread blackouts, network congestion, and service degradation, with 656 major outages reported in 2025, 70% attributed to vandalism, per NCC data. ALTON highlighted a thriving black market for stolen equipment and additional damage from road construction severing underground fiber optic cables, leading to significant financial losses. The association urged the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Inspector General of Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to deploy resources urgently to protect telecom infrastructure, classified as Critical National Infrastructure under Federal Government Gazette No. 133, Volume 108, dated March 17, 2021. ALTON commended the NCC’s vandalism reporting portal (protect@ncc.gov.ng or 622) and called for coordinated action from government, security agencies, media, and the public to safeguard Nigeria’s digital economy, security systems, and communication networks.