By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced the collapse on 15 March, 2026 of Tower T99 along the Ughelli/Benin 330kV Transmission Line as a result of vandalism.
According to a statement signed by Ndidi Mbah, General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, the incident was discovered during a line patrol at Coconut Village, Effurun LGA, Warri, Delta State, following a line trip.
“Upon inspection by TCN’s linesman, it was observed that the fallen tower had some of its bracing members vandalised and carted away, which led to its collapse. The adjoining towers, T100 and T101, were also vandalized although they remain standing.
“As a result, there is a temporary disruption in the evacuation of bulk power supply from Transcorp Power Plc to the national grid through the Benin 330kV transmission line,” TCN explained.
It however informed the public that mobilisation of resources to facilitate the reconstruction, restoration, and reinforcement of the vandalised towers and affected transmission line as soon as possible had commenced.
Tasking the public on vigilance to curb the menace of vandalism, TCN said, “We reiterate that vandalism poses a serious threat to the stability of the nation’s transmission system and urge host communities to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around transmission installations to security operatives or the nearest TCN office.
“The fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure is a collective responsibility. We call on all stakeholders to join hands in protecting these critical national assets from further attacks.”