No fewer than 18 electricity towers supplying power to various franchise areas in three states have been destroyed and stolen by vandals within five days, posing a significant challenge to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and its efforts to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
The TCN disclosed this in a statement signed by the General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, on Sunday in Abuja. The company explained that the incidents had severely affected operations and hindered the government’s grid expansion plans.
The statement read, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria regrets to announce that over 18 transmission towers were vandalized between January 9 and 14, 2025, across Rivers, Abia, and Kano States.”
The General Manager of Transmission for the Port Harcourt Region, Emmanuel Okpa, reported that routine patrols by linesmen on January 10, 2025, uncovered damage to towers 171 through 181 and tower 184.
“On January 14, vandals targeted towers 146, 147, and 149 along the Owerri/Ahoada 132kV line in Rivers State, removing base brackets and compromising the stability of the towers,” the statement continued.
In Abia State, the Head of the Lines Department for the Region, Azuh Lucky, reported the theft of bolts, nuts, and structural members from towers 160 to 162 on the Alaoji/Umuahia 132kV line, which was under repair on January 13, 2025.
Meanwhile, in Kano, towers 105, 106, and 107 along the Katsina-Gazoua 132/33kV transmission line were critically damaged by vandals on January 9, 2025, compromising their structural integrity and risking collapse.
Additionally, the TCN revealed that in the early hours of January 17, 2025, vandalized 132kV underground transmission cables were discovered near Millennium Park in Abuja, which affected the power supply to the central area and its environs.
“This resulted in a power outage at the Presidential villa and the office of the minister of Power, among other areas,” the statement concluded.
The TCN expressed regret over the continuing vandalism, emphasizing the growing difficulties posed by these criminal activities to Nigeria’s power transmission efforts.
