Nigeria’s telecom industry is under siege, as vandals and saboteurs continue to destroy key infrastructure, crippling mobile and internet services across the country. The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) reports that solar panels, backup batteries, inverters, diesel generators, and even entire network cables have been looted or damaged in Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and the FCT in the past few weeks. In one instance, a major fiber optic link in Abuja was cut, disrupting network service for over 45,000 users for nearly 16 hours.
These attacks have real-world consequences. In Rivers State, the theft of base station batteries left multiple communities without access to emergency hotlines during a major rainstorm that flooded homes. In Lagos, a cut to fiber infrastructure caused delays in POS and online bank transactions for small businesses, leaving vendors stranded. Some tech-enabled services, including ride-hailing platforms and food delivery apps, reported temporary shutdowns due to network downtimes linked to vandalism.
ALTON is urging national security agencies and local communities to take a stand. Nigeria’s push toward digital transformation (5G networks, smart systems, e-governance) depends on resilient and secure telecom infrastructure. The warning is clear: these aren’t just random crimes, they are deliberate attacks on Nigeria’s digital future, and protecting telecom assets is now a national responsibility.
Photo credit: Unsplash