The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed that vandals have damaged 31 transmission towers in Edo State, disrupting critical power infrastructure.
The destruction occurred in the Okada and Ofosu communities, affecting the 330kV Benin-Egbin and Benin-Omotosho transmission lines.
In a statement issued on Friday, Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s director of public affairs, revealed that the damage was discovered during routine maintenance patrols earlier in November.
The affected towers were found to have key components removed, severely compromising their structural integrity.
“A team of TCN engineers, led by Engr. Emmanuel Akpa, General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region, has conducted an inspection of the site,” Mbah stated.
The problem is not limited to Edo State. The Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line in Bayelsa, which was undergoing repairs after a prior attack, was targeted again on November 19. Vandals removed parts of towers 29 to 31, including approximately one-third of the conductor.
This is not the first time Bayelsa’s power infrastructure has been attacked. On August 14, 13 transmission towers along the same line were destroyed, causing extended outages.
By late October, 65 percent of the damaged towers had been repaired, with 17 towers fully restored and work on the remaining three ongoing.
TCN engineers led by Engr. Emmanuel Akpa inspected the latest site of vandalism. According to Mbah, local security measures have been reinforced to safeguard the area while repairs are underway.
Despite challenges such as flooding and difficult terrain, she noted that repairs on the Ahoada-Yenagoa line are 85 percent complete.
Mbah highlighted the growing threat of vandalism to Nigeria’s power infrastructure, urging communities and security agencies to remain alert. She called for public cooperation to combat these criminal acts, which hinder the country’s efforts to improve power supply and stabilise the grid.
