MTN said attackers cut into its fibre-optic lines running through Nigeria’s northeast during attacks on telecommunication towers in the region. In a statement, South Africa-based MTN said the multiple cuts on the line had disrupted “the lives of millions” in the region.
The company offered no estimate on how much damage was done nor the cost of repairs. Since 05 September, gunmen have been attacking more than 30 mobile phone towers across Nigeria’s north, disrupting service for all telecommunication companies.
A radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram later claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying mobile companies had helped the government arrests its members.