The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigeria Police Force are stepping up joint efforts to secure Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, as authorities respond to a sharp rise in fibre optic cable damage threatening network stability nationwide.
The renewed collaboration follows a high-level meeting at Force Headquarters between Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, and Olatunji Rilwan Disu, Inspector-General of Police, where both institutions agreed to strengthen coordination to protect critical telecoms assets.
The urgency of the joint action is underscored by new industry data showing a 900% surge in fibre optic cable damage incidents in January 2026. According to NCC incident reports, cases rose sharply from four incidents in December 2025 to 40 in January 2026, marking one of the steepest month-on-month increases in recent years.
NCC, Police move to curb rising fibre cuts
The urgency of the joint action is underscored by new industry data showing a 900% surge in fibre optic cable damage incidents in January 2026.
According to NCC incident reports, cases rose sharply from four incidents in December 2025 to 40 in January 2026, marking one of the steepest month-on-month increases in recent years.
The spike has exposed renewed vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s telecommunications backbone, which underpins connectivity for millions of users and supports critical sectors of the digital economy.
CNII status raises stakes for enforcement
The surge in infrastructure damage comes despite the Federal Government’s 2024 designation of telecoms assets as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), a classification that criminalises vandalism, theft, and interference with essential network systems.
The designation places telecommunications infrastructure among national assets whose disruption carries significant economic and security implications, requiring stronger enforcement and inter-agency collaboration.
In response, the NCC and the Police are aligning operational strategies to improve incident response, intelligence sharing, and enforcement actions against offenders.
“It was a frank and forward-looking conversation on strengthening collaboration between the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Nigeria Police to better protect critical telecom infrastructure, enhance digital security, and support a safer environment for innovation and connectivity to thrive,” the NCC says.
The telecoms regulator emphasises that protecting telecoms infrastructure is becoming increasingly critical as Nigeria’s dependence on digital platforms expands across banking, commerce, education, and government services.
Frequent fibre cuts and infrastructure vandalism have continued to trigger service disruptions, affecting businesses and consumers and raising costs for telecoms operators.
The NCC links the intensified security push to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda under President Bola Tinubu, which prioritises digital transformation and infrastructure resilience as drivers of economic growth.
“As the digital economy expands, safeguarding the networks that power it is no longer optional—it is essential,” the Commission says, noting the strategic importance of telecoms infrastructure to national development.
Stakeholders have repeatedly warned that persistent infrastructure damage threatens service quality, investor confidence, and long-term sector growth.
The NCC–Police partnership is expected to strengthen monitoring of high-risk infrastructure corridors, enhance rapid response capabilities, and improve prosecution of vandals, addressing one of the most persistent risks facing Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem.
With telecommunications serving as a backbone for financial services, digital trade, and public sector operations, authorities are positioning infrastructure protection as a national security priority, critical to sustaining Nigeria’s digital economy and expanding connectivity nationwide.
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