The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria has issued an urgent call for government and security intervention as a wave of vandalism and theft targeting critical infrastructure threatens to disrupt services nationwide.
The Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said in a statement on Thursday that the surge in attacks on telecommunications facilities could lead to a nationwide network collapse if not urgently addressed.
Between May and July 2025, multiple incidents of vandalism were recorded at telecom cell sites in Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Ekiti, Lagos, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The targeted attacks, according to operators, have disrupted services, caused prolonged network blackouts, and led to severe congestion, leaving millions of Nigerians without reliable connectivity.
“Since the Federal Government’s decisive interventions earlier this year to support industry sustainability, our members have made unprecedented investments in network optimisation and capacity upgrades.
We are working tirelessly to improve service quality nationwide, but these acts of sabotage are setting us back”, the telecom executive stated.
According to ALTON, the telecommunications industry is currently undergoing its largest infrastructure expansion in recent years. Operators are modernising transmission equipment, overhauling power systems, and laying thousands of kilometres of fibre-optic cables to extend coverage and boost capacity. However, this progress is being undermined by increasing cases of theft and vandalism.
The association revealed that thieves are targeting essential telecom components, including power cables, rectifiers, fibre optic cables, feeder cables, diesel generators, batteries, and solar panels.
These items, ALTON stressed, are not just ordinary materials but represent the backbone of Nigeria’s communications network, security systems, and digital economy.
