Telecommunications operators have raised the alarm over rising incidents of infrastructure vandalism, warning of an imminent service blackout unless coordinated actions from all levels of government and the public are taken to address the challenge.
Speaking through their union, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the service providers said it the situation was particularly troubling because it is coming at a time members have committed investments in network optimisation and capacity upgrades, following decisive interventions by the federal government earlier this year to bolster industry sustainability.
“Our industry has not seen this scale of investment in recent years. We are working round the clock to improve the quality of service nationwide and we cannot afford these setbacks,” the Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said on Sunday.
He added that between May and July 2025, cell sites in key states including Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Ekiti, Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory and others witnessed high-level infrastructure compromise by vandals.
He noted that the widespread sabotage has not only disrupted network services but also caused connectivity blackouts, severely impacting millions of subscribers.
