When cell phone and internet networks went down across nine states in Nigeria earlier this summer, leaving millions without service, telecoms officials pointed to an increasingly familiar culprit: vandalism.

Destruction of telecoms infrastructure is rife in Africa’s most populous country, from jihadist groups aiming to create communications blackouts to outright theft of cables and parts, as well as generators and diesel from substations.

But now some Nigerian telecoms operators worry incidents like the summer blackout will become increasingly common as the country’s economic crisis triggers more cable thefts and vandalism and pushes up the costs of repairs.

With consumers turning to solar alternatives to get away from unreliable power supplies, experts say some batteries stolen from te

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