Victor Ezeja
Suspected power line vandals have pulled down Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) transmission towers in Yobe State leading to power failure in parts of the Northeast region.
A statement signed by the TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, posted on X handle said the incident which occurred on Thursday night around Katsaita village in Yobe State affected towers T372 and T373 on Gombe- Damaturu 330kv SC transmission line.
According to Mbah, TCN engineers who went on patrol to ascertain the cause of the power failure discovered that some towers had fallen.
The statement said the engineers discovered what looked like explosive material that might have been used by the vandals to bring down the towers.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that one of its towers, tower T372 around Katsaita Village in Yobe State was vandalised, yesterday, bringing down the 330kV transmission tower which pulled down tower T373 along the same transmission line route,” Mbah stated.
“The incident, which took place at about 21:18 of yesterday, the 21st of December 2023, caused the failure of power supply to parts of the Northeast, namely, Yobe and Borno States.
“While patrolling the line to ascertain the cause of the cut in power supply, TCN engineers discovered the fallen towers, and the villagers confirmed they heard a loud explosion before the tower came down. On closer investigation, the engineers found evidence of explosives used by the vandals in bringing down the towers.”
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The statement said TCN has mobilized one of its contractors to the site of the incident to begin the reconstruction of the transmission towers damaged by the vandals.
“TCN strongly condemns the incident and regrets the inconvenience caused to the government and people of Yobe and Borno States and pledges to do all that is possible to quickly re-erect the towers to restore power supply to the affected areas.
“We are once again making an urgent appeal to host communities to collaborate with TCN in the fight against vandalism and the necessary preservation of power infrastructure nationwide, which is our collective asset,” the statement added.
Vandalisation and theft of power infrastructure have been part of the challenges faced by both TCN and electricity Distribution companies (DisCos) across Nigeria.
Surveillance Over Power stations
Recently, TCN disclosed plans to deploy surveillance drones, cameras and other advanced equipment to enhance surveillance of its transmission lines and substations nationwide.
The aim is to curb the activities of vandals, who destroy, steal power cables and sabotage power stations.
TCN General Manager, Kaduna Region, Engineer Ganiyu O. Aliyu, who made this known at Mando Station in Kaduna, said the company was partnering with a tech firm to provide Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) for tracking power towers and installing surveillance equipment.
“We are collaborating with IT companies to use OPGW for tracking every power tower. A rotating camera with long-range visibility and infrared capabilities for night detection of theft will be deployed. We’re engaging communities to report vandalism and thefts while monitoring the stations,” Aliyu said last week.
Vandalization and theft of power infrastructure remain a challenge to power sector managers until a lasting solution is found.
