NOT LESS than eighteen transmission towers have been destroyed in the past five days despite the alleged surveillance and protection of the electricity infrastructure by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
A statement by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said that the reparation of the towers would require N1.9 billion to fix.
The towers vandalised are in Rivers, Abia, and Kano states between January 9 and 14, 2025.
The Explainer reported that vandals plunged the Presidential Villa, the official home of Bola Tinubu, the office of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu and thousands of Abuja into stark darkness.
A 32KV transmission line and underground cables taking power to central parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and environs were vandalised around the Millennium Park, just about one kilometre away from the Presidential Villa.
READ MORE: Vandals Triumph Over NSCDC’s Lapses; Leaves Tinubu, Power Minister in Darkness
These recurring incidences are threatening the country’s socioeconomic development of Nigeria.
A statement signed by the General Manager in charge of Public Affairs at TCN, Ndidi Mba, the General Manager of Transmission for the Port Harcourt Region, Emmanuel Okpa, disclosed that on January 10, routine patrols revealed extensive damage to towers 171 through 181 and tower 184 along the 132kV Owerri/Ahoada line. By January 14, vandals had targeted towers 146, 147, and 149, removing base brackets and jeopardising the towers’ stability.
In Abia State, the Head of the Lines Department, Azuh Lucky, confirmed the theft of bolts, nuts, and structural components from towers 160 to 162 on the Alaoji/Umuahia 132kV line. This incident occurred on January 13 while the line was undergoing repairs.
Similarly, in Kano on January 9, vandals seriously destroyed towers 105, 106, and 107 along the Katsina-Gazoua 132/33kV transmission line. The towers’ structural integrity was weakened, raising the possibility of a collapse.
On January 17, TCN engineers also found 132kV underground transmission wires that had been vandalised close to Millennium Park in Abuja. The Central Area of Abuja and the neighbouring areas experienced power outages as a result of the event.
Vandals demolished 119 transmission towers in 2024 alone, severely degrading the country’s electrical system, which the previous year had 12 failures and 32,8000 megawatts of load loss.
Mbah emphasised the devastating impact of these acts of sabotage on the company’s grid expansion plans.
According to her, constant repairs to vandalised installations are draining financial resources and hindering efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity network.
