By Daniel Edu
Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has revealed that a total of 108 power transmission towers were vandalized in various parts of the country between January 2022 and September of the current year. These acts of vandalism affected 132kV double circuit power transmission lines, 330kV double circuit lines, and also involved soil excavation that posed a threat to transmission towers. The Federal Government has characterized this development as sabotage.
Vandalism of transmission towers was reported in several regions including Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Enugu, and Benin. The government, through TCN, has initiated repairs on some of the vandalized towers and has deployed in-house engineers to address others.
An analysis of the data shows that during this period, 27 towers were vandalized in the Abuja region, nine in the Lagos region, 52 in the Kano region, and 10 each in the Enugu and Benin regions.
Nigeria experienced two power grid collapses in September, resulting in widespread blackouts. These incidents were attributed to sabotage and the destruction of transmission facilities.
TCN has reported over 10 incidents of vandalism across its regions in 2023, with the Kano region being the most affected, followed by Osogbo, Abuja, and Enugu, among others. These incidents have had significant consequences, including power outages in affected areas.
The TCN management has strongly condemned the activities of vandals, emphasizing that their actions disrupt the company’s efforts to expand and improve the grid infrastructure. TCN has called on host communities to collaborate in the fight against vandalism and to report any suspicious activities around transmission towers to security agencies or TCN offices in the vicinity.
The Nigerian Power Consumers Forum has also expressed concern over disturbances on the national electricity grid and recent fire incidents near power transmission infrastructure.
