The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS), has called for a law that would make vandalism of telecommunication facilities a capital offence.

President of the association, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, made the call on Saturday in Lagos.

He said the law had become necessary to prevent vandals from sabotaging telecommunication infrastructure and frustrating the efforts of telecommunication operators in proving quality service.

Ogunbanjo said that vandalism of critical telecommunication infrastructure would continue to hamper the provision of quality services to the over 110 million subscribers in the country.

He decried the incessant vandalism of such infrastructure, especially in violent prone areas, adding that it would have negative impact on further investment in the industry.

The NATCOMS president said that such disruptions did not only disconnect subscribers, but also cause embarrassment to businesses and national security.

He said government should declare telecommunication facilities as critical national infrastructure due to their importance.

“Vandalism of critical telecommunication infrastructure has a ripple effect on the economy, including job losses and reduced taxable income,” Ogunbanjo said.

“Government cannot fold its arms and watch the disruption in our networks as this may affect the security of lives and livelihood of Nigerians who depend on the services of these operators,” he said.

He called on the government to beef up security around telecommunication infrastructure nationwide to prevent agents of economic sabotage from destroying critical economic infrastructure.