Nigerian telecom providers have revealed that cable cuts by hoodlums of #EndBadGovernance Protests are to blame for the country’s internet disruptions in the last 48 hours.
The explanation follows claims made by certain organisations that network providers, such as MTN Group Limited, interfered with the network to restrict coverage of the country’s #EndBad-Governance demonstrations.
NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, revealed that a disruption to leading internet provider MTN in Nigeria may limit the visibility of
the nationwide protests.
A coalition of about 37 organisations had condemned the intentional disruption of access to the internet in Nigeria following protests that erupted in several states across the country on the 1st of August, 2024.
The coalition is made up of organisations like Accountability Lab Nigeria; Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID); FactCheck Africa Initiative; National Roundtable on Business and Human Rights and Paradigm Initiative, among others.
Speaking on behalf of operators in Nigeria, the executive secretary of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbolahan Awonuga, told Leadership that the network outage was caused by demonstrators damaging some internet cables.
His words: “There are a lot of cable cuts across Nigeria. Some of the protesters went into the manhole and cut the cables. The network disruption is not a matter of the government trying to sabotage the protest. It is as a result of the cable cut.
“We are making arrangements with the National Security Adviser to the President (NSA) to give operators clearance to enable them to repair those damages.”
He also appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience as the network will be restored soon.