The disclosure by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that the telecommunications sector suffers an average of 1,100 fibre-optic cable cuts per week, compounded by hundreds of access denials and theft incidents, is not merely a service disruption statistic; it is a stark declaration of a national digital emergency.

This relentless assault on Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is the single greatest threat to the country’s digital transformation agenda and requires an urgent, coordinated, and iron-clad response.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, had raised the alarm during the Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) and Sustainability Conference in Lagos. He said Nigeria’s telecommunications sector is facing an alarming surge in sabotage, with an average of 1,744 attacks recorded weekly across the country.

This figure includes approximately 1,100 fibre cuts, 545 incidents of access denial, and 99 cases of theft, posing a significant threat to service quality, network expansion, and national security. Maida warned that telecom infrastructure sabotage has reached a critical level, with direct implications for millions of Nigerians and the stability of the digital economy.

Indeed, to the average Nigerian, a fibre cut means a dropped call, a failed banking transaction, or a patchy Internet connection that halts a critical business operation. But the true cost is exponentially higher. With an economy increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure, from eCommerce and fintech to healthcare and security, each of the 1,100 weekly incidents represents so many things. It is also important for urgent steps to be taken, as the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is embarking on a $2 billion World Bank-supported 90,000km fibre optic investment in the country, anytime soon.

The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) described the persistent attacks on telecom infrastructure as an act of “economic sabotage.” The Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, stressed that the country’s “lifeline of the digital economy” is under constant threat from “vandalism, theft, negligence, weak enforcement, and poor coordination of development activities.” Adebayo and other operators demanded that the government take immediate action to prevent the country’s “digital heartbeat” from suffering a fatal blow.

Indeed, with these cuts and thefts, operators have continued to incur immense repair costs, which are ultimately passed on to consumers. Furthermore, the economic ripple effect of service outages amounts to billions, severely undermining investment confidence. For instance, a report showed that in 2022 alone, over N13 billion was spent by Mobile Network Operators, InfraCos, and other service providers on fixing damages to fibre cuts and other telecommunication infrastructure. In 2023, this amount rose to N14.6 billion.

In the same report, operators in the telecommunications sector faced revenue losses of N12 billion in both 2022 and 2023 due to customer compensation, site relocations, and fibre resilience costs. As of now, N35 billion is the new cost, lost not just in repairs but also in economic opportunity, according to telecom operators, over recent months.

This challenge also impaired national security. By Presidential designation, telecom infrastructure is a CNII. Its compromise is a direct threat to national security, affecting emergency services, military communication, and critical government operations.

Constant network instability drains resources that should be channelled into network expansion, pushing the goal of universal access further out of reach, particularly for underserved communities. In Nigeria, some 23 million people in some 110 localities across the country are either unserved or underserved, according to the Universal Access Provision Fund (USPF). The causes of this recurring catastrophe are varied but converge on two primary points. These include accidental damage and willful sabotage.

A significant number of fibre cuts are caused by the disjointed operations of construction firms, road contractors, and other utility agencies. The lack of a mandatory “Know Before You Dig” policy, which requires contractors to verify the location of buried cables, is a systemic failure that must be urgently rectified.

The theft of generators, batteries, diesel, and even cables for scrap is a rampant criminal enterprise.
This is often exacerbated by access denial from uncooperative communities or local authorities seeking extortion, which prevents operators from performing routine maintenance or timely repairs.

The NCC revealed that the industry witnessed 3,200 cases of equipment theft between January and August 2025, which added to the operational challenges that are slowing broadband rollout in one of Africa’s biggest economies.

The telecom regulator and the government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), have correctly designated the infrastructure as CNII and initiated joint committees. However, words must translate into deterrent action. The solution requires a multi-pronged approach engaging all stakeholders.
  
First, there is a need for stricter enforcement and prosecution. The existing laws must be aggressively enforced. Vandalism, theft, and denial of access must be treated as economic sabotage with swift, visible, and non-negotiable legal consequences. The courts must support the designation of CNII with appropriate sentencing that serves as a genuine deterrent. CNII must be punitive; offenders must be adequately prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals.
 
Second, there is an urgent need for a mandatory ‘Dig-Safe’ policy. The newly formed Joint Standing Committee must move with urgency to implement a mandatory, nationwide digital mapping and notification system for all underground assets. No government or private contractor should be allowed to commence excavation without obtaining clearance on utility locations.
  
Third, community sensitisation and ownership would not be a bad idea. ALTON had constantly canvassed this. This simply means that a sustained, grassroots public awareness campaign is vital. Communities must be educated to see telecom infrastructure not as an operator’s asset, but as their own digital lifeline. They must be incentivised to act as vigilant stakeholders, promptly reporting suspicious activities.
  
Fourth, operators must be encouraged and supported to invest in more resilient, secure infrastructure, including the use of hardened ducts, deep underground burial, and alternative power solutions to reduce the lucrative target of site equipment.
  
On its part, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) emphasised the need to protect telecoms infrastructure, particularly metro, terrestrial, and submarine cables, against cuts. ATCON President, Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, specifically called for a synergy among the NCC; Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), stressing that they need to look at the issues bothering metro, terrestrial, and submarine fibre disruptions, which have become recurring decimal in the Nigerian telecoms industry.

The Federal Government needs to take all these pieces of advice and act swiftly on them as fast as possible. For a fact, the 1,100 weekly damages represent a national haemorrhage that the country can no longer afford. Protecting this infrastructure is not a favour to telecom operators; it is a foundational prerequisite for a stable, secure, and prosperous digital future for Nigeria. The time for deliberation is over; the moment for definitive, collective action is now.