Lagos has given internet service providers until Monday, 9 November, to clean up their cables in parts of Lekki and Ikeja or risk losing them. The Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA) says operators that fail to arrange, secure and clear their overhead and underground infrastructure may have it confiscated or face heavy administrative penalties.
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"All ISPs operating within these areas are required to ensure that their network infrastructure" is properly arranged, secured and cleared of obstructions, LASIMRA said in its notice.
The notice
LASIMRA published the directive on its official X account on Tuesday, 3 November. It is signed by the agency's general manager, Prince Oyekanmi Elegushi, and applies to every internet provider in the named areas.
| Area | Location |
|---|---|
| Ilasan and Ikate | Lekki |
| Allen Avenue | Ikeja |
| Customs Office area, off Toyin Street | Ikeja |
| Item | Detail |
| Who must act | All internet service providers in the areas listed |
| What they must do | Clean, arrange and secure overhead and underground infrastructure |
| Enforcement starts | Monday, 9 November 2026 |
| Penalty | Confiscation of infrastructure or heavy administrative penalties |
The second warning in a month
This is LASIMRA's second order of its kind in weeks. In October, the agency gave MTN, Airtel, ipNX, FibreOne and 21st Century Technologies 48 hours to fix sagging overhead fibre in Ikeja GRA after an enforcement patrol found cables hanging over streets. In February it gave operators 14 days to clear cables in 13 areas of Ikeja, and a follow-up check weeks later found little had changed.
That history explains the sharper language this time. By naming confiscation as a penalty, the agency is signalling that it means to enforce rather than repeat warnings.
Why Lagos is acting
Low-hanging cables are a safety risk. They can snag trucks, fall onto walkways and obstruct drivers,. The problem is growing because fibre is spreading fast: the number of fibre-to-the-home and office subscribers in Nigeria rose from 241,750 in the first quarter of 2026 to 319,735 in the second, and almost every new connection means more cable on poles or under pavements.
Lagos runs its campaign under the slogan "For a Safer, Cleaner and Better Regulated Lagos."
What residents and businesses should expect
- Technicians at work. Expect crews from internet providers in Ikeja and Lekki/Ikate before 9 November, rearranging or burying lines.
- Short interruptions. Re-routing cables can cause brief outages for home and office internet. If your service drops and does not return, report it to your provider with your address and ask for a ticket number.
- Fewer hanging lines. If the operators comply, streets in these areas should see fewer sagging cables.
If you see a dangerous hanging cable, keep away from it and report it to your internet provider and to LASIMRA through its official channels.
What it means for providers
For operators, the cost is labour and time now, against the risk of losing equipment later. Confiscated cables would mean lost customers in those areas until service is restored. For the wider industry, Lagos is setting a pattern other states may follow as fibre spreads: build fast, but build tidily, or face the regulator.
What to watch
- 9 November: whether LASIMRA starts confiscating infrastructure, and from which operators.
- More areas: whether the agency extends the order beyond these four locations.
- Service impact: whether enforcement causes outages for customers in Ikeja and Lekki.
Lagos has given internet providers until 9 November to fix their cables in parts of Lekki and Ikeja, and this time it is threatening to take the cables away.
