A deep trench carved by an excavator's claw slices through the earth in Abuja, but beneath the soil, an unseen casualty lies severed: a vital fibre-optic cable. This scene, repeated across construction sites in the Federal Capital Territory, has prompted a sharp security crackdown. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is now warning road construction workers that damaging these underground lines will lead to immediate arrest and prosecution.
FCT NSCDC Commandant Olusola Odumosu delivered the warning through a statement by the command's spokesperson, Monica Ojobi. He stated the caution was necessary due to increasing damage to fibre-optics installations throughout the territory. According to Odumosu, this damage stems directly from negligence, poor planning, and a failure by workers to identify communication lines along road corridors before they start digging.
These actions have had severe and widespread consequences. The commandant explained that on many occasions, cut cables have resulted in the disruption of internet services, banking operations, communications networks, government services, and other commercial activities. A single excavation mistake can plunge entire districts into digital silence, halting financial transactions and crippling official functions.
“The recurrent damage to our underground fibre optic cables poses a serious threat to national security, causing disruption of telecommunication services which affects the economic prosperity of our country,” Odumosu said. He grounded this warning in a powerful new legal instrument: the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) Order 2024. Under this order, telecommunication fibre infrastructure is officially classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure.
This legal designation transforms what might have been seen as accidental property damage into a grave security matter. “Any damage, whether deliberate or through negligence, constitutes a serious offense under this order,” Odumosu emphasized. The NSCDC has instructed all construction companies and road workers in the FCT to exercise extreme caution and conduct proper surveys before commencing any excavation work.
The corps plans to increase surveillance and patrols around critical infrastructure sites and will prosecute violators to the fullest extent of the law. Residents experiencing service disruptions are encouraged to report suspicious excavation activities to NSCDC authorities immediately.
