Masts belonging to MTN Nigeria and Globacom were set ablaze by gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect in Bara, 160km south of Damuturu, Yobe State capital in northern Nigeria, yesterday.
The gunmen besieged the telecoms facilities with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and rocket propelled launchers at around 1:30am. One security officer was killed.
Terrorists have long been targeting telecommunication infrastructure in northern parts of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has blamed the spate of vandalism as the cause of poor quality of services on the networks.
Okechukwu Itanyi, the NCC’s executive commissioner for stakeholders’ management, said this at the weekend while speaking at the 55th consumer outreach program that was held in Lokoja, Kogi state.
Speaking on the program’s theme “Protection of Telecom Infrastructure,” he said it has become necessary for the Nigerian government to declare telecoms installations in the country as critical national assets that deserve maximum protection.
According to the accounts of witnesses, the gunmen overpowered policemen posted to the council headquarters and terrorised the area for around three hours during which they set the telecoms masts sited in the council area on fire.
They also set the police station ablaze and killed a policeman who attempted to safeguard the torched facilities.
Sanusi Rufai, the state police commissioner, said no arrests had been made.
