House of Reps Demands Telecom Chiefs' Presence or Arrest

On October 28, 2026, the House of Representatives delivered a final ultimatum to the chief executives of major telecommunications firms, demanding their presence at a parliamentary probe scheduled for November 4, 2026. Panel Chairman Olumide Osoba dismissed the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria's (ALTON) request to send its chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, as a proxy for MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and Mafab Communications.

Committee member Sunday Umeha criticized ALTON's written submission, which suggested that parliamentary summonses were optional. Umeha stated that the committee has the constitutional power to compel attendance.

House spokesman Akin Rotimi highlighted the serious implications of signal blackouts, linking them to security failures, including a deadly ambush in his Ekiti State constituency where two traditional rulers were killed due to lack of mobile network coverage.