Nigeria’s telecom regulator has enlisted the country’s intelligence agencies to crack down on gangs responsible for damaging fibre optic infrastructure, in what officials describe as a growing threat to national security and economic stability.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reported that between January and August 2025, the telecom sector suffered 19,384 fibre cuts across the country, leading to widespread network disruptions.
Additionally, 3,241 cases of equipment theft and over 19,000 incidents of site access denial were recorded, further worsening connectivity issues for millions of users.
At a recent policy discussion co-organized by the Ministry of Finance, the World Bank, and the Nigeria Governors Forum, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Aminu Maida warned that the alarming scale of these disruptions poses serious risks to Nigeria’s economy and essential public services.
“These are not just figures,” Maida said. “They represent millions of Nigerians disconnected and a growing threat to our national progress.”
He revealed that the NCC has partnered with the Office of the National Security Adviser to identify and dismantle cartels behind fibre sabotage. Intelligence units have begun tracking coordinated networks of vandals who target telecom installations for illicit gain.
According to Maida, leading operator MTN Nigeria alone reported over 5,400 fibre cuts as of July 2025. Such damage has repeatedly crippled essential services, including banking transactions, healthcare communication systems, online education platforms, and emergency response networks.
“The frequency of these attacks,” he said, “undermines investor confidence, increases operating costs, and disrupts national development initiatives.”
In response, the NCC has also established a new working group with the Ministry of Works to improve coordination and prevent accidental fibre cuts during road construction projects. Many fibre lines are inadvertently damaged during infrastructure upgrades, further compounding the problem.
Dr. Maida emphasized that the regulator is enforcing compliance with the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) protection orders signed by President Bola Tinubu in 2024. The orders classify telecom assets as strategic national assets requiring protection under federal law.
“The time has come for all stakeholders — from local communities to state governments — to recognize that safeguarding digital infrastructure is a shared responsibility,” Maida urged.
To strengthen accountability and promote transparency, the NCC announced plans to launch a Digital Connectivity Index, which will rank states based on broadband performance, resilience, and infrastructure protection efforts.
Telecom operators and civil society groups have welcomed the move, calling for stricter enforcement of penalties for vandalism and better engagement with host communities to curb sabotage.
As Nigeria’s dependence on digital services continues to grow, the success of these coordinated security measures will be critical to ensuring uninterrupted connectivity and advancing the country’s digital transformation agenda.
