By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has announced that its Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line, which is currently under repair due to previous vandalism, was again targeted by vandals.
The attack which occurred on November 19, 2024 affected towers 29 to 31, resulting in the theft of approximately one-third of the conductor, a statement issued Friday by TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said.
According to the statement, a team of TCN engineers, led by Engr Emmanuel Akpa, General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region, had conducted an inspection of the site, and preliminary findings indicate that the incident occurred at night.
In an attempt to prevent further theft while repair arrangements are being made, local security has been engaged at Ula Ikata in Ahoada East LGA to secure the site until repairs are completed. Additionally, the line will be energised from the Ahoada end as a preventive measure.
Efforts to replace the stolen 250mm conductor are currently underway. Despite challenges posed by difficult terrain and flooding, the restringing of the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line is approximately 85% complete.
The statement recalled that earlier in November, vandals also attacked transmission towers in the Okada and Ofosu Communities along the 330kV Benin-Egbin and Benin-Omotosho transmission lines. A total of 31 towers were affected in this incident.
The vandalised towers which suffered significant damage, with critical components removed, were discovered by TCN linesmen during a routine patrol.
And TCN engineers from the Benin Sub-Region had initiated repairs to prevent the collapse of the affected towers and to avoid disruption of bulk power supply.
The statement called on all stakeholders to join hand with TCN in combating the menace to a standstill, saying “These incidents underscore the urgent need to combat the growing problem of vandalism and theft affecting Nigeria’s power infrastructure. TCN calls on the public to support efforts to address these crimes, which have significantly hampered the expansion and stability of the national grid.
“As TCN intensifies its efforts to protect installations, we appeal to security operatives and local communities to be more vigilant in safeguarding power infrastructure in their areas.”