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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Telecom operators lose billions as infrastructure theft surges

From The Punch · (1d ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Nigerian telecom operators are facing billions of naira in losses due to the escalating theft of critical infrastructure, particularly power-related assets.
  • Over 650 power assets, including generators and batteries, were stolen in 2025, severely impacting network stability in a country with unreliable electricity supply.
  • The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) describes the theft as an existential threat, forcing operators to prioritize security over expansion.

Nigeria's telecommunications sector is grappling with a severe crisis as the rampant theft of vital infrastructure leads to billions of naira in losses for mobile network operators. Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission reveals a staggering figure of over 650 power-related assets, such as generators and batteries, stolen in 2025 alone. This highlights the mounting risks to the nation's digital backbone, especially in areas where unreliable grid power makes off-grid solutions indispensable for maintaining network uptime.

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

— Tony EmoekpereDescribing the response of telecom operators to infrastructure theft.

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has characterized the scale of these thefts not merely as operational disruptions but as an "existential threat" to the sector. The stolen equipment is crucial for the functioning of base stations, and their loss directly translates to service deterioration for consumers across the country.

In response, operators are increasingly adopting a defensive posture. ATCON President Tony Emoekpere stated that current measures involve a combination of enhanced physical security, advanced technological monitoring, and a redesign of site power and security systems. This includes deploying more security guards, collaborating with local vigilante groups, reinforcing base station enclosures, and utilizing remote monitoring systems for real-time tamper detection.

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

— Tony EmoekpereExpressing concern about the financial implications of prioritizing security over expansion.

Furthermore, operators are shifting away from easily removable components towards more integrated and hybrid power systems, even though these are also becoming targets for thieves. The industry is channeling significant resources into infrastructure protection rather than expansion, raising serious concerns about the long-term sustainability of the sector. This shift in investment priorities, from growth to security, underscores the gravity of the infrastructure theft problem.

When you lose generators and batteries at that scale, what it means in practical terms is that sites go down. And when sites go down, you immediately see i

— Tony EmoekpereExplaining the direct impact of infrastructure theft on network services.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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