Telecommunications operators in Nigeria recorded a dramatic surge in fibre optic cable damage in January 2026, with incidents rising by 900% compared to the previous month, according to official data.
Analysis of incident reports published by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that fibre cuts increased from just 4 cases in December 2025 to 40 incidents in January 2026, marking one of the steepest month-on-month spikes in recent years.
The spike comes despite the Federal Government’s 2024 designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), a policy aimed at protecting network assets from vandalism and accidental destruction.