FG Directs Telcos to Shut down Operations in Zamfara over Insecurity

The federal government has directed the telecommunication companies (telcos) to shut down their operations in Zamfara State as part of the renewed efforts to address the security challenges in the state, THISDAY has learnt.

Following this directive issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms operators in the mid-night on Friday shut down their operations and demobilised sites in the state.

The development also affected the neighbouring states that rely on telecoms facilities in Zamfara State for telecommunications signals.

The shutdown automatically demobilised all telecoms activities in the state, leaving telecoms subscribers, incommunicado.

THISDAY gathered that no subscriber in the state could generate or receive calls since Friday night.

The subscribers woke up yesterday morning to discover that they could not make calls and could not receive calls, without prior notice from the telecoms operators.

THISDAY gathered that the directive to shut down telecoms sites in Zamfara State, came from the federal government and was handed down to NCC to direct all telecoms operators - MTN, Airtel, Globacom, 9mobile, and ntel, including Fixed Wireless and Wired Network operators, to shut down telecoms sites in the state.

A letter from NCC, directing telecoms operators to shut down their sites in Zamfara State, showed that the directive was given to address insecurity, following the recent mass kidnapping of students in the state.

According to the letter sent out by NCC to all telecoms operators, dated September 3, 2021, and signed by the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, which THISDAY sighted, NCC said the prevailing security situation in Zamfara State, necessitated the immediate shutdown of all telecommunications services in the state from Friday night.

THISDAY also gathered that security operatives have commenced rescue operations of the kidnapped students in and around the state, and have requested for the demobilisation of telecoms services in the state, to cut-off communications among the kidnappers on one hand and between the kidnappers and the family of their victims on the other hand.

The NCC letter directing all telecoms operators to shut down telecoms operations in the state was leaked.

Shocked that the NCC letter was leaked, both the NCC and the telecoms operators have decided not to comment on the directive.

THISDAY placed several calls to the Director of Public Affairs at NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, as well as to all telecoms operators, but they did not respond to the calls and did not reply to the text messages sent to that effect as at press time.

The letter further said the directive would enable relevant security agencies to carry out the required activities towards addressing the security challenges in the state.

The shutdown order would last for two weeks in the first instance, beginning from September 3, 2021, after which the security situation in the state would be reviewed.

Some telecoms experts, who spoke to THISDAY concerning the directive, said the measure, though timely, would affect businesses and communications among telecoms subscribers.

They expressed worries over the losses that the directive would pose on businesses and called on the federal government to devise other means of tracking and arresting kidnappers across the country.

Following the rising cases of kidnapping in the country and the recent kidnapping of 73 students from a public school in Zamfara State, the state government last week, announced a dusk to dawn curfew across the state and also shut down schools across the state.