Nigeria extends northern telecoms blackout as military hits bandits

Nigerian local authorities have extended a telecom shutdown in northwest Zamfara state to a neighbouring state as part of an ongoing military crackdown on gangs behind a series of mass kidnappings, an official said Friday.

Nigerian security forces in Zamfara last week began one of their largest recent operations against the armed gangs, known locally as bandits, in an attempt to halt the surge in violence.

Looking to disrupt the armed groups’ communications, the country’s telecoms regulator also ordered operators to shut their towers in Zamfara as the military began raids and air strikes on bandit hideouts.

A security aide to Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari said telecommunication services were now also shut in 13 of that state’s 34 districts on the border with Zamfara.