Vandals destroyed 18 transmission towers in five days – TCN

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.

The states are Rivers, Abia, and Kano.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria announced this in a statement signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, on Sunday in Abuja.

It said the ncidents present a major challenge to operations and hinder the fulfillment of its mandate to reliably supply uninterrupted power to Nigerians.

The TCN noted that the incidents were uncovered during routine checks and affected grid expansion plans by the government.

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.

“In Abia State, 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.

Also, in the early hours of January 17, 2025, vandalized 132kV underground transmission cables were discovered by TCN engineers near Millennium Park in Abuja. This 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.