Widespread network blackout hits Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara as MTN, 9mobile suffer fibre cuts

Residents across Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states have been plunged into a total communications blackout following simultaneous fibre optic cable cuts that disrupted services for two of Nigeria’s major telecommunications operators, MTN and 9mobile.

According to a network status update released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the dual fibre cuts occurred at approximately 7:09 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, 2025, and have since left numerous communities without access to voice calls, SMS, or data services.

The affected areas span wide swaths of the three states, including Aliero, Anka, Arewa Dandi, Argungu, Augie, Bagudo, Bakura, Binji, Birnin Kebbi, Bodinga, and Dange Shuni. Other impacted towns and local governments include Fakai, Gada, Goronyo, Gummi, Kebbe, Maiyama, Maru, Rabah, Sakaba, Shagari, Silame, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Talata-Mafara, Tambuwal, Tangaza, Tureta, Wamako, Wurno, and Yabo.

Residents in these areas report being completely disconnected, unable to communicate with loved ones, access online services, or even place emergency calls.

“We have no signal, no SMS, nothing. Even banks are not functioning properly because of this outage,” said Suleiman Adamu, a resident of Birnin Kebbi. “It’s affecting everything — business, security, even hospitals.”

Fibre cuts have become a perennial nightmare for Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, with operators reporting daily disruptions that cost the sector billions of naira annually in repairs and lost revenue.

Femi Adeniran, Director of Corporate Communications and CSR at Airtel Nigeria, recently described the trend as an “epidemic,” revealing that Airtel alone suffers an average of 43 fibre cuts every day.

“These interruptions not only inconvenience consumers but also hinder businesses, delay government operations, and compromise public safety, especially during emergencies,” Adeniran said during a recent industry briefing.

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Over the past six months, Airtel reported 7,742 separate fibre cut incidents, underlining the fragility of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure in the face of unchecked urban expansion, vandalism, and poor coordination among stakeholders.

Industry experts have blamed the rising frequency of fibre cuts on reckless construction activities, unregulated excavation works, and intentional acts of sabotage.

Telecom operators have long appealed to government agencies to streamline coordination during road construction and maintenance works, which frequently result in unintentional damage to underground cables.

In response to the growing crisis, the Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW) and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMoCIDE) formed a Joint Standing Committee on the Protection of Fiber Optic Cables in February 2025.

The Committee, inaugurated by Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi (Permanent Secretary, FMoW) and Engr. Farouk Yusuf (Permanent Secretary, FMoCIDE), was tasked with developing a unified approach to protecting telecom infrastructure during construction projects.

However, implementation has been slow, and the committee’s impact is yet to be felt on the ground, as daily fibre cuts continue to cripple network services in various regions.

For citizens living in affected communities, the blackout has caused massive disruptions to daily life, affecting financial transactions, online education, government services, and emergency responses.

“It’s unacceptable that in 2025, we’re still talking about fibre cuts disabling entire regions,” said Hauwa Sani, a businesswoman in Sokoto. “We rely on mobile networks for everything — and when it goes, life comes to a standstill.”

Analysts have called on the government to prioritize the protection of digital infrastructure, equating it with national assets such as electricity and transportation.

Expanding investment in network redundancy and satellite-based backups

Until such reforms are implemented, Nigeria’s quest for a fully digital economy remains vulnerable to basic infrastructural sabotage.

As fibre cuts continue to wreak havoc on Nigeria’s communication backbone, the current blackout in Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of telecom services and the urgent need for coordinated, proactive infrastructure protection.

For now, residents in the affected areas wait in uncertainty — disconnected, frustrated, and hoping that service restoration will come swiftly.