Despite a new legal framework, ATCON insists only tougher sanctions can stem the surge in fibre cuts that hit Nigerian telecoms with 1,883 incidents and ₦27 billion in losses in early 2026.
Lagos: Weak penalties and outdated enforcement are driving a surge in telecom vandalism despite new laws, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) warns.
The President of ATCON, Mr Tony Emoekpere, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, while calling for urgent legal reforms to strengthen enforcement.
Emoekpere said that although offenders are being apprehended and prosecuted, the current framework is failing to deter.
Nigeria’s Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order 2024 provides the legal framework for safeguarding ICT infrastructure against vandalism, sabotage and theft.
The Order, anchored on the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 classifies assets such as telecom towers, fibre-optic cables and data centres as critical national infrastructure requiring enhanced protection.
“People are being caught, but the offences are still treated as petty crimes.
“That limits the impact. CNII needs stronger legal backing, such as an Act or executive order, to give it more teeth,” the ATCON president said.
He urged industry stakeholders and security agencies to urgently step up nationwide collaboration, calling for immediate, coordinated action to strengthen safeguards for telecom infrastructure and ensure the country’s future and economic development remain secure.
The ATCON president also reaffirmed support for the Federal Government’s “Project Bridge,” calling on leaders to prioritise swift approval of right-of-way permits across states, highlighting this as a critical step to expanding connectivity.
According to him, because telcos have to engage multiple states, it is slowing things down, but efforts are ongoing to address it.
On service quality, he said operators are struggling to keep pace with rising subscriber numbers and increasing data demand, despite recent tariff adjustments.
“The challenge is not that nothing is being done—investments are ongoing. But demand is growing even faster, and operators are constantly trying to catch up,” he said.
Emoekpere added that subscriber migration between networks and shifting usage patterns are placing additional pressure on certain operators, contributing to service fluctuations.
He, however, assured customers that efforts are ongoing to improve network performance.
“We value our subscribers, and everything is being done not just to maintain, but to improve service delivery,” he said.
The telecommunications sector has consistently identified infrastructure vandalism as a major challenge affecting service delivery and operational costs.
Industry stakeholders say the CNII Order is expected to strengthen the protection of telecom assets and improve quality of service for consumers, following years of rising attacks on infrastructure across the country.
Data from operators show that fibre-optic cable cuts remain a major threat to telecom operations.
However, despite the Order, Nigeria recorded 1,883 fibre cuts in the first quarter of 2026, while between January and August 2025, about 19,384 incidents were reported nationwide, averaging more than 2,400 monthly cases.
MTN Nigeria alone reported 9,218 fibre cuts in 2025, up from 9,000 in 2024 and 6,000 in 2023, highlighting the growing scale of the problem.
The sector continues to face theft of power assets vital for telecom operations.
In 2025, criminals reportedly stole 656 critical power assets, including 152 generators and 504 batteries, while telecom operators nationwide lost an estimated ₦27 billion over a 12-month period due to infrastructure damage.
In Q1 2026, infrastructure vandalism directly caused 577 network outages.
