Telcos Raise the Alarm over Vandalization of Telecoms Infrastructure across Nigeria

Emma Okonji

Telecommunications operators (Telcos) under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), have expressed deep concern over the increasing wave of vandalization and theft of telecommunications infrastructure across the country.

ALTON, in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo and its Publicity Secretary, Damian Udeh, said since the federal government’s interventions earlier this year to support industry sustainability, its members have committed unprecedented levels of investment in network optimisation and capacity upgrades. New systems are being deployed, transmission equipment modernised, power systems overhauled, and thousands of kilometers of fiber optic networks currently being laid and expanded. The Telcos are however worried about the level of vandalisation of such telecoms facilities across the country.  

According to the statement, “Our industry has not seen this scale of investment in recent years. We are working round the clock to improve the quality of service nationwide and we cannot afford these setbacks. Unfortunately, between May and July, 2025, multiple incidents of vandalism were recorded across cell sites

in Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Ekiti, Lagos, Federal Capital Territory Abuja 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.

“The affected infrastructure, primarily belong to our members, as well as other network operators and those who depend on us for connectivity. Critical components such as power cables, rectifiers, fiber optic cables, feeder cables, diesel generators, batteries, and solar systems are vandalised and stolen from active sites. These are not mere materials, but they are the backbone of our digital economy, security systems, and national communications grid.”

The statement further said: “We are alarmed at the frequency, intensity, and geographical spread of these incidents. States such as Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Lagos, Kogi, Kaduna, Niger, Osun, Kwara and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja have recorded the highest number of attacks on telecoms infrastructure. These attacks have led to prolonged downtimes, network congestion, widespread blackouts, and degradation of service quality.

 “The public must be reminded that telecommunications infrastructure is classified as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) under the National Security framework. Therefore vandalism, sabotage, or illegal possession of these assets is a serious criminal offense with grave consequences.”

ALTON therefore urged the public to be vigilant and refrain from purchasing suspicious items and also called on the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Inspector General of Police, Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to immediately deploy the necessary resources to protect telecommunications infrastructure and prevent a total breakdown of communications across the country.

ALTON however commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for its proactive efforts in safeguarding national telecoms infrastructure, particularly through the creation of a dedicated reporting portal.