TCN laments rise in vandalism of electricity assets in North-East
Story from Usman UMAR
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has expressed deep concern over the increasing incidence of vandalism of electricity assets in the North-East region.
While TCN engineers are currently working on rebuilding and restringing the four vandalised towers, three towers along the Biu – Danbua 132kV transmission line were also vandalized, with 16 spans of conductors stolen.
Ndidi Mbah, the General Manager of Public Affairs, issued a statement highlighting the unfortunate events.
According to the statement, three towers along the Biu-Dambua 132kV line collapsed and one tower along the Makurdi-Jos 330kV transmission line had its tower members stolen.
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The incident occurred on the morning of May 27, 2024, while the contractors were carrying out cable stringing on the last tower, this was a crucial step towards energizing the line later that day.
The statement said despite facing security challenges in the region, TCN contractors and engineers worked tirelessly to complete the project on time, adding that the collapse of the fourth tower was a significant setback, considering the efforts made to meet the power restoration deadline.
“The contractor is currently dismantling the collapsed tower to prepare for its reconstruction and the final restringing of the cable.
“In addition to this, TCN patrol teams discovered the vandalism of three towers along the Biu – Danbua 132kV transmission line and one tower along the Makurdi – Jos 330kV line.
“Emergency repairs have been contracted to prevent further damage.
“TCN is committed to restoring power supply to the affected areas and urges the public to report any suspicious activities related to tower and line vandalism to prevent further incidents,” the statement said.
