656 generators, batteries stolen in 2025, fibre cuts see spike in Q1 2026
Subscribers to telephone services in the country have called on security agencies to deepen surveillance and end the vandalism of telecom infrastructure in Nigeria’s $76 billion telecom sector.

The call came yesterday from the National Association of Telecom Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMs) on the heels of increased vandalism of telecom infrastructure in the country in 2025.

Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that sophisticated criminal networks looted 656 critical power assets.

According to NCC, a total of 152 generators and 504 batteries were stolen over the year, raising fresh concerns about network reliability and service quality.

In the year under review, there were also cases of cable and diesel thefts. This is even as fibre cuts entered another level. There were 1, 344 cases of diesel thefts, 49 cases of vandalism and sabotage

Amid the Federal Government’s declaration of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure to ensure adequate protection, NCC data showed that theft of telecom facilities has continued, even on a larger scale, into 2026.

Speaking with The Guardian on the development, the president of NATCOMs, Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the crisis was worrisome, even given the fact that the CNII Act was alive in the country.

Referencing the oil and gas infrastructure, which has enjoyed protection from Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), the NATCOMs boss said constant vandalism of the sector’s infrastructure would continue to result in poor telephony services.

Further analysis of the NCC data showed that January and February 2026 continued the vandalism trend, with 64 batteries and 17 generators stolen in the first two months of the year.

Describing the matter as a huge setback for the sector, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said the operators had been doing their best by investing in network optimisation and capacity upgrades, following the Federal Government’s policy interventions early last year to support the industry’s sustainability.

Commenting on the development, telecom expert, Kehinde Aluko, noted that through theft, vandalism and the like, telecom operators were facing massive financial losses from the direct replacement of stolen hardware.