The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has raised concerns over weak penalties in the country's Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) policy, warning they are failing to deter attacks on telecoms infrastructure. ATCON president Tony Emoekpere made the remarks in Lagos on Thursday, citing persistent vandalism despite ongoing arrests and prosecutions. He said the current legal framework treats such offences as petty crimes, limiting deterrence, and called for stronger enforcement through an act or executive order. The CNII Order 2024, signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and based on the Cybercrimes Act 2015, classifies telecom towers, fibre-optic cables and data centres as critical infrastructure.
Mr Emoekpere affirmed ATCON's support for federal government initiatives like Project Bridge to expand connectivity, but flagged delays in right-of-way approvals across states as a major challenge. He noted that rising subscriber numbers and data demand are straining network capacity, even after recent tariff adjustments. Subscriber migration and shifting usage patterns, he added, are increasing pressure on some operators, contributing to service fluctuations. Despite this, he assured that efforts are ongoing to improve performance.
Between January and August 2025, Nigeria recorded about 19,384 incidents of infrastructure attacks, averaging over 2,400 monthly. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 1,883 fibre cuts were recorded nationwide. MTN Nigeria reported 9,218 fibre cuts in 2025, up from 9,000 in 2024. Theft of power assets also surged, with 656 units stolen in 2025, including 152 generators and 504 batteries. Operators lost an estimated ₦27 billion in one year to vandalism, while 577 outages in Q1 2026 were directly linked to infrastructure damage.
Tony Emoekpere points to weak penalties while citing rising fibre cuts and thefts, yet supports a government policy that has not curbed the damage. The CNII order exists, but with 1,883 fibre cuts in three months, its enforcement appears ineffective. Project Bridge aims to expand connectivity, but right-of-way delays and unchecked vandalism are undermining progress. Nigerians pay for network failures through poor service and higher costs, even as operators report record losses.
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