By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
You may call it black January for Nigeria’s electricity supply experience as 2025 begins with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) lamenting vandalisation of 18 transmission towers between 9 and 14 of the first month across the three states of Rivers, Abia, and Kano.
Denouncing what it described as a surge in acts of vandalism, TCN in a statement signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, recalled that Engr Emmanuel Okpa, General Manager of Transmission for the Port Harcourt Region, reported that routine patrols by linesmen on 10 January, 2025 uncovered damage to towers 171 through 181 and tower 184.
According to the statement, on 14 January, 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.
In Abia State, Engr Azuh Lucky, Head of the Lines Department for the Region, 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.
In the early hours of January 17, 2025, vandalised 132kV underground transmission cables were discovered by TCN engineers near Millennium Park in Abuja, which affected power supply to the central area and its environs.
Cautioning, TCN said, “These incidents pose a significant challenge to our operations as a company. We have bolstered security measures, increased lines patrol, and the number of vigilante groups, and we are also collaborating with security operatives.
However, we need and are appealing for the full support of every Nigerian, particularly those in communities hosting our installations.
“We must collectively recognize that the transmission network is our collective asset and essential for our socioeconomic development.
“The vandals and those who buy stolen materials are sabotaging the nation. All hands must be on deck to ensure the growth of the nation’s power sector, which is critical to the development of our country
“TCN’s grid expansion plans are under tremendous strain due to the persistent vandalism of its installations. The financial implications of constant repairs to vandalized transmission installations, along with the stress on the grid, are having adverse effects on the expansion drive.
“This is a clarion call for everyone to join forces with TCN to put an end to this menace and safeguard our electricity network.”
Vandalism of transmission installations has been on the increase in recent times, with the just ended year 2024 witnessing countless incidents.