Telecom operators in Nigeria including Airtel, MTN, GLO, and Etisalat have suffered a loss of nearly N20 billion following the attacks on telecom infrastructure including towers by the Islamic group, Boko Haram.

According to the report the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), an industry representative body, as many as 25 base stations have reportedly been damaged in the attacks, disrupting mobile phone coverage.

Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of ALTON, is quoted as saying that a base station costs in the region of N500 million and N1 billion.

According to Adebayo the Federal Government “should be decisive in its intervention in the onslaught against the telecoms firms.

Officials say more than 20 towers have been damaged since Tuesday in different parts of the north. Spokesman for Airtel Nigeria, Emeka Opara said the companies' facilities were destroyed in four northern states of Borno, Gombe, Yobe, and Kano.
 
A military spokesman blamed the militant Islamist group Boko Haram for the first such attacks on nine mobile phone companies.
 
The attacks came six months after the sect threatened to attack Nigerian telecom companies, accusing them of breaking their “ethical obligations” and helping the security forces to monitor and track down its members.