Nigeria’s mobile network operators are absorbing billions of naira in losses as theft of critical telecom infrastructure intensifies, with regulatory data showing more than 650 power-related assets were stolen in 2025, underscoring rising risks to the country’s digital backbone.

The figure, disclosed by the Nigerian Communications Commission, covers stolen generators, batteries, and other power equipment essential to the operation of base stations across the country, where unreliable electricity supply makes off-grid power systems central to network stability.

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria told The PUNCH on Monday that the scale of theft has shifted the challenge from operational disruption to what it described as an existential threat to the sector.

The stolen equipment forms a critical part of base station operations, particularly in a country where unreliable grid power makes diesel generators, batteries, and hybrid systems essential to maintaining network uptime.

ATCON President Tony Emoekpere said operators are now responding largely in a defensive mode, combining physical security upgrades with technological monitoring and redesigning how sites are powered and secured.

“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.”

Measures include increased deployment of site security guards, collaboration with local vigilante groups, reinforced base station enclosures, and wider use of remote monitoring systems that allow operators to detect tampering in real time.

Operators are also shifting away from easily removable components, such as standalone batteries, toward more integrated and hybrid power systems. However, ATCON said even solar and hybrid infrastructure is now being targeted by thieves.

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 also coordinating more closely to improve intelligence sharing and response.

Despite these efforts, ATCON said the industry is spending increasingly large sums on protecting infrastructure rather than expanding it, raising concerns about long-term sustainability.

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

The impact of the theft is already being felt across Nigeria’s telecom network, with operators reporting site shutdowns that translate directly into service deterioration.

“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.”

While operators can sometimes reroute traffic in densely populated urban areas, this often leads to congestion and degraded quality of service. In rural and remote areas, the loss of equipment can result in complete service outages.

ATCON said subscribers are already bearing the brunt of the disruption, even if they are unaware of its underlying cause.

The association warned that the financial impact runs into billions of naira annually, with operators currently absorbing much of the cost. However, it said the losses are increasingly feeding into broader industry economics.

“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.

He added that consumers are effectively paying twice: first through degraded service quality, and later through pressure on pricing and reduced investment capacity across the sector.

ATCON said the legal and regulatory framework already exists, noting that the telecommunication infrastructure has been designated as Critical National Infrastructure. However, it argued that enforcement remains the missing link.

The group is calling for stronger treatment of telecom infrastructure theft as economic sabotage rather than petty crime, alongside more coordinated protection involving security agencies such as the police and civil defence corps.

It also urged visible deterrence through arrests, prosecutions, and convictions, as well as action against informal markets where stolen batteries, cables, and other telecom equipment are allegedly resold.

Without stronger enforcement, ATCON warned, the cycle of theft, disruption, and rising costs will continue to undermine Nigeria’s digital infrastructure at a time when demand for connectivity is rising sharply.