Nigeria’s telecommunications networks are facing mounting pressure as a growing wave of infrastructure theft and vandalism continues to disrupt services, inflate operating costs, and expose persistent weaknesses in efforts to safeguard the country’s digital backbone.
Despite policy moves aimed at strengthening protection, including the designation of telecom assets as critical national infrastructure, incidents of theft have not only persisted but appear to be intensifying, raising fresh concerns about the reliability of network services and the sustainability of ongoing investments in the sector.
At the centre of these concerns is new industry data referenced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which shows that telecommunications operators lost a total of 656 critical power assets to theft in 2025 alone. The figure includes 152 generators and 504 batteries removed from active telecom sites across the country, underscoring the scale of the challenge confronting operators.
While the figures themselves are significant, they point to a deeper and persistent challenge. Early data from 2026 suggests that the problem is far from abating. Within the first two months of the year, operators reported the theft of 64 batteries and 17 generators, indicating a continuation of the pattern that defined much of the previous year.
Beyond power infrastructure, other essential components of telecom operations are increasingly being targeted. Cable theft has surged sharply, with 160 incidents recorded in January 2026 alone, more than double the 74 cases reported in the same period a year earlier. The pattern persisted into February, where 151 incidents were recorded compared to 73 in February 2025.
Diesel theft, another critical pressure point for operators reliant on generator-powered sites, has also escalated. Between January and February 2026, a total of 222 incidents were recorded, reflecting the growing vulnerability of telecom installations to coordinated and opportunistic attacks.
Taken together, these incidents highlight a deepening infrastructure security crisis, one that extends beyond isolated acts of vandalism and points to systemic gaps in protection, enforcement, and coordination.
Industry stakeholders warn that the implications are far-reaching. For operators, the loss of critical equipment translates directly into increased operating costs, as damaged or stolen assets must be replaced while alternative power arrangements are deployed to keep sites running. For consumers, the impact is felt in the form of degraded service quality, dropped connections, and, in some cases, complete network outages in affected areas.
Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said the rising wave of attacks is increasingly undermining efforts by operators to strengthen network capacity and improve service delivery.
According to him, telecom companies have continued to invest in network optimisation and infrastructure upgrades, particularly following policy interventions introduced by the federal government to support the long-term sustainability of the industry. However, these gains are being eroded by the persistent theft and vandalisation of equipment across operational sites.
He noted that a wide range of critical components including power cables, rectifiers, fibre optic cables, feeder cables, diesel generators, batteries, and even solar systems are being targeted, often from sites that remain active and serve large subscriber bases.
“These are not mere materials.They are the backbone of our digital economy, security systems, and national communications grid,” Adebayo said.
The scale of the problem is also geographically widespread. States such as Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Lagos, Kogi, the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Niger, Osun, and Kwara have been identified among the areas recording the highest number of incidents, reflecting the nationwide nature of the threat.
The persistence of these attacks raises questions about the effectiveness of existing policy measures. In August 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), making it a criminal offence to tamper with or wilfully damage such assets.
The policy was widely seen as a major step toward strengthening the protection of telecom installations, with expectations that it would deter vandalism and improve coordination among security agencies.
However, recent data suggests that the designation has yet to translate into a meaningful reduction in incidents. If anything, the frequency of attacks shows that enforcement remains weak or uneven, leaving operators exposed to continued losses.
Compounding the challenge is a parallel rise in fibre optic cable damage, which has emerged as another major source of network disruption. Incident reports from the NCC, earlier reported by Business a.m, show an increase in fibre cuts at the start of 2026, highlighting the fragile state of critical connectivity infrastructure.
The data indicates that fibre cuts rose from just four recorded cases in December 2025 to 41 incidents in January 2026 alone, marking one of the most significant month-on-month increases in recent years. Within the first seven weeks of the year, total reported disruptions had climbed to 68 incidents, following an additional 27 cases recorded between early and mid-February.
The scale of the issue is not new, but its persistence remains a concern. Industry disclosures indicate that Nigeria experiences an average of 1,100 fibre cuts weekly, alongside hundreds of cases of site access denial and dozens of theft-related incidents. These disruptions collectively place immense strain on network performance and operational efficiency.
Major operators have repeatedly highlighted the operational toll. MTN Nigeria reported over 9,000 fibre cuts by the end of 2025, alongside hundreds of theft and vandalism incidents affecting key sites. Airtel Nigeria has similarly disclosed experiencing dozens of fibre cuts daily across parts of its network, translating into hundreds of weekly disruptions.
These incidents not only increase maintenance and repair costs but also undermine service reliability, particularly in a market where consumers and businesses are increasingly dependent on stable connectivity for daily activities.
In response, the NCC and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have stepped up warnings, indicating a tougher stance against individuals and organisations responsible for damaging telecom infrastructure, especially during construction and civil works.
However, despite these interventions, the trend has continued, suggesting that enforcement alone may not be sufficient to address the scale and complexity of the challenge.
For many stakeholders, the situation underscores a deeper structural issue within Nigeria’s telecom ecosystem, one where infrastructure expansion is outpacing the systems designed to protect it.
As Nigeria deepens its push toward a digitally driven economy, the resilience of its telecommunications infrastructure is coming under increasing scrutiny. Industry observers note that without stronger coordination among regulators, security agencies, state governments, and local communities, the gains of digital expansion could remain vulnerable to persistent disruptions.
The rising wave of theft and vandalism also highlights a broader challenge within the sector, as infrastructure deployment has accelerated in recent years while protection mechanisms have struggled to keep pace. This imbalance may ultimately shape the sustainability of Nigeria’s digital ambitions in the years ahead.
