How thieves and vandals are contributing to poor network service in Nigeria

Precious Omolu 10:20 - 14 April 2026

Your dropped calls and slow data aren't just 'network issues', they are often the result of infrastructure sabotage.

Nigeria’s telecom operators are quietly bleeding billions of naira, and it’s not because of competition or falling demand. It’s theft.

Mobile network operators across the country are grappling with a surge in the theft of critical telecom infrastructure, with regulatory data showing that more than 650 power-related assets were stolen in 2025 alone.

The losses, disclosed by the Nigerian Communications Commission, include generators, batteries, and other essential power equipment that keep base stations running — especially in a country where unreliable electricity makes off-grid systems the backbone of network stability.

As of early 2026, Nigeria has over 182 million active telephone subscribers and approximately 151.6 million active internet users

For an industry already battling rising operational costs, the situation is no longer just a nuisance. It’s becoming something far more serious.

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on Monday said that the scale of the theft has moved beyond operational headaches to what it now describes as an existential threat to Nigeria’s telecom sector.

In simple terms, when these power assets disappear, base stations go down. And when base stations go down, everything from calls to internet speed suffers.

ATCON President Tony Emoekpere said operators are increasingly forced into survival mode, shifting focus from expanding infrastructure to protecting what already exists.

ATCON President Tony Emoekpere warns that the scale of theft has moved from a nuisance to an 'existential threat' for the telecom sector.

“Operators are responding, but largely in a defensive mode,” he said. “What you’re seeing now is a combination of increased physical security, technology deployment, and changes to how sites are designed and powered.”

That response has included hiring more site security guards, working with local vigilante groups, reinforcing base station enclosures, and deploying remote monitoring systems that can detect tampering in real time.

Operators are also redesigning power systems to make them harder to steal. Standalone batteries, which are easier to remove, are gradually being replaced with integrated and hybrid power setups. But even that hasn’t completely solved the problem, solar and hybrid infrastructure are now being targeted as well.

To tackle the growing threat, industry stakeholders — including ATCON, the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, are ramping up intelligence sharing and coordination.

“We are spending more to protect infrastructure than we should, and that is not sustainable,” Tony said.

Over 650 power assets like these were stolen in 2025, forcing base stations to shut down and leaving entire neighborhoods offline.

The impact is already showing up in the everyday user experience. According to operators, when generators and batteries are stolen, base stations shut down immediately. In cities, networks may reroute traffic to nearby sites, but that often leads to congestion, slower speeds, and dropped calls. In rural areas, the consequences can be even worse, complete service outages.

“When you lose generators and batteries at that scale, what it means in practical terms is that sites go down,” Tony said.

“And when sites go down, you immediately see increased call drops, poorer voice quality, and slower or completely unavailable data services.”

For subscribers, the disruption is already happening — even if they don’t always know why their network suddenly gets worse.

ATCON estimates the losses run into billions of naira annually, with operators currently absorbing much of the cost. But that may not last forever.

“These losses run into billions of naira annually. While operators are absorbing a lot of it for now, it inevitably feeds into the overall cost structure of the industry,” Tony said.

In other words, consumers may end up paying twice — first through poorer service quality, and later through potential price pressure and slower network expansion.

Although telecom infrastructure has already been designated as Critical National Infrastructure, ATCON believes enforcement remains weak. The association is now pushing for stronger treatment of telecom theft as economic sabotage rather than petty crime.

They are also calling for more visible deterrence — including arrests, prosecutions, and convictions — alongside crackdowns on informal markets where stolen batteries, cables, and telecom equipment are allegedly resold.

Without stronger enforcement, ATCON warns, Nigeria risks entering a cycle where theft leads to network disruption, which leads to higher costs, which ultimately slows down digital growth — at a time when demand for connectivity is only rising.