Nigeria’s telecom regulator and security authorities have issued a renewed warning to construction firms, government contractors and utility service providers, declaring that damage to fibre-optic cables during road works and other civil engineering activities will no longer be treated as an avoidable accident but as a criminal offence punishable under existing laws.
In a joint statement, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said the rising frequency of fibre cuts across the country, many of them linked to negligence and poor coordination during construction projects, poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s digital economy and national security.
The two agencies stressed that fibre-optic infrastructure is not just a commercial asset but a critical national resource that underpins communication networks, emergency services, business operations and government systems. According to them, any disruption to these networks has ripple effects that extend beyond dropped calls or slow internet speeds, affecting economic productivity, public safety and investor confidence.
They noted that under the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order 2024, telecommunications fibre infrastructure has been formally classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure. As a result, unauthorised excavation, careless construction activity, or failure to engage relevant authorities before and during civil works now constitutes a criminal act.
“Any damage resulting from unauthorised digging, construction activities, or failure to collaborate with relevant authorities to prevent damage during construction is a criminal offence,” the statement said.
The NCC and NSCDC warned that individuals, construction firms and government contractors found culpable will face prosecution and applicable sanctions under existing legal frameworks, including the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.
They added that future incidents of fibre damage linked to road construction, excavation or other engineering works carried out without proper consultation with network operators and regulators would attract strict legal consequences.
Beyond enforcement, the agencies called for greater responsibility and coordination across all levels of government and the private sector. Federal, state and local government agencies, road construction companies, utility providers and private developers were urged to conduct proper pre-construction verification of fibre routes, work closely with the NCC, telecom operators and the NSCDC before and during projects, comply with approved excavation and right-of-way guidelines, and promptly report any accidental damage to enable rapid repairs.
Members of the public were also encouraged to report suspected sabotage or damage to fibre-optic infrastructure to the appropriate authorities.
The warning comes against the backdrop of mounting disruptions across Nigeria’s telecom sector. The NCC had previously expressed deep concern over the scale of infrastructure damage nationwide, disclosing that telecom operators, including MTN, Glo, Airtel and T2, recorded more than 40,000 service disruptions in the first eight months of 2025 alone.
According to figures cited by the commission, these disruptions included 19,384 fibre cuts, 3,241 cases of equipment theft and over 19,000 incidents involving denial of access to telecom sites. The cumulative impact has been prolonged network outages, significant revenue losses for operators, rising security costs and delays in restoring services for millions of subscribers.
Speaking on the issue, Aminu Maida, the executive vice chairman of the NCC, said the persistent damage to telecom infrastructure has become one of the biggest obstacles to Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
“These incidents demonstrate why infrastructure protection must remain at the centre of our collective agenda. Without it, Nigeria risks stalling its broadband ambitions,” Maida said.
He noted that as the economy becomes increasingly dependent on reliable digital networks, repeated disruptions caused by vandalism, theft and negligence are slowing progress across key sectors.
“Our fibre networks, towers and data centres are the digital lifelines of the Nigerian economy. Any disruption to them has far-reaching consequences,” he added.
In August 2024, President Bola Tinubu signed an official gazette designating telecom infrastructure as critical national information infrastructure, making it a criminal offence to wilfully damage such assets. Despite this designation, incidents of fibre cuts have continued to rise, raising concerns about enforcement gaps and weak coordination between stakeholders.
This trend is reflected in recent disclosures by MTN Nigeria, which reported an increase in network disruptions throughout 2025. The company recorded 9,218 fibre cuts as of December 31, alongside 211 incidents of theft and vandalism at critical telecom sites by the end of November.
Karl Olutokun Toriola,the chief executive officer of MTN, revealed the figures in a LinkedIn post, noting that many of the company’s service gaps were driven by operational challenges such as fibre cuts, theft and vandalism.
“Their impact is felt directly by customers and reflected in what they tell us,” Toriola said.
With Nigeria’s broadband expansion, digital services and emerging technologies increasingly reliant on resilient telecom infrastructure, regulators say protecting fibre-optic assets is no longer optional. As enforcement tightens, stakeholders across construction, utilities and government are being put on notice that negligence in this area now carries legal and economic consequences.
