“We fix it, they steal it”: How relentless vandalism cripples Nigeria’s telecom sites

When Yahaya Ibrahim, Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, checked his phone on Wednesday afternoon, July 30, 2025, yet another telecom site had been vandalised. It was 12:30 p.m., but the Abia State-based site was the second incident of the day. The first happened at 6:05 a.m. There were two incidents the previous day. And the day before that. 

“It’s a constant daily occurrence, at least two sites are vandalised every day,” he told TechCabal, staring at his phone in disbelief.

Theft and sabotage have become an epidemic in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, with operators like MTN, IHS Towers, and MainOne reporting staggering site vandalism, cable theft, and fibre cuts nationwide. The attacks are especially rampant in states like Abia, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, and Rivers State, where criminals target telecom towers for everything from power cables and backup batteries to the core transmission and radio equipment.

At first, it was just the power cables and batteries. “We suspect they’re being used for solar systems,” Ibrahim noted. But in recent months, the theft has become more sophisticated and damaging. “Now, they’ve started taking the actual transmission and radio equipment. Some even melt down circuit boards and extract chips. It’s worrying.” 

Since May 2025, operators across the industry have recorded at least five vandalism incidents daily compared to two incidents per day before May, according to the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). 

A chain reaction of blackouts

The implications are severe. One vandalised site doesn’t just affect that immediate area. Many telecom towers act as hubs, linking and powering other nearby sites. If a single hub is compromised, three or four sites could go offline. For residents and businesses relying on mobile internet or voice services, these disruptions are sudden and unpredictable.

But the costs go far beyond inconvenience. MTN, like other operators, budgets annually for spares and upgrades. “We’re exhausting spare parts far quicker than projected,” Ibrahim explained. “To fix vandalised sites, we’re now diverting equipment originally meant for upgrades in other regions.” The company is also exhausting what has already been budgeted for an entire year within seven months, according to Ibrahim. 

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A violent, organised threat

The issue is not just about theft, it’s about safety too. “Our partners and contractors have been attacked,” Ibrahim said. In many cases, security guards or vigilante groups stationed at sites are assaulted when criminals strike. When engineers try to restore service at night, they are often met with threats, violence, or even kidnapping.

In areas like Omoku and Elele in Port Harcourt, Ibrahim described a disturbing pattern: gangs deliberately cut fibre cables, then demand payment before allowing repair teams to fix them. 

“We pay, we fix it. Then they cut it again. It’s a cycle,” he said. “At one site, while we were still fixing it, the boys came and told us, ‘When you finish, we’ll still take it.’ And two hours later, they did.”

Some sites have been hit more than 10 times. In Abuja, one tower has been vandalised so often that engineers are now reluctant to replace its equipment.

Sector-wide crisis

IHS Towers, which manages 16,398 telecom towers in Nigeria as of March 2025, confirms the crisis. In a statement to TechCabal, IHS acknowledged that vandalism is a “major challenge” causing service interruptions, increased repair costs, and long-term degradation of service quality. 

“These actions can severely disrupt communication services,” the company said. “We continue to deploy innovative strategies to safeguard infrastructure and support the implementation of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNII) Act.”

But the challenge extends to other players, too. MainOne told TechCabal that 93% of its outages are caused by fibre cuts. Their teams often face the same threats in many parts of Lagos where the company has its infrastructure. At a particular site along the Ikorodu-Ojota route, touts, also called area boys, prevented access to the damaged cables unless paid. 

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A growing national risk

Despite awareness campaigns and the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national assets, enforcement remains weak. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has oversight, but operators say more targeted interventions are urgently needed, especially in rural and semi-urban areas where attacks are most frequent.

“Like everything else, we must find a solution ourselves in the meantime until we come to maturity as a nation that we shouldn’t destroy other people’s property,” Abu said. 

The vandalism crisis is now threatening Nigeria’s broader digital future. As the country pushes for deeper broadband penetration, 5G rollout, and digital inclusion, its communications backbone is under siege.

“If we can’t secure the basic infrastructure, we can’t build on it,” Ibrahim warned. “We fix it, and they steal it. That’s the reality we face every day.”

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