One Week After Repairs, Terrorists Destroy TCN Towers Again, Throw Parts of North-east into Darkness

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

For the umpteenth time, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday announced another attack on its electricity transmission lines in the North-east, throwing parts of the region into darkness.

It is coming barely a week after the wholly government-controlled organisation fixed the lines, which earlier elicited the concerns of the region’s state governors in the area due to the prolonged blackout.

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that two of its towers, T193 and T194, along the Damaturu -Maiduguri  330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line have again been destroyed by vandals.

“The incident, TCN believes happened at about 10:15pm, yesterday (Tuesday) night, when the 150MVA power transformer at Molai Substation tripped at the same time as the 330kV transmission line supplying bulk power to Maiduguri from Damaturu Transmission Substation.

“After the line tripping, efforts were made by TCN engineers to close the Mulai-Damaturu line to enable bulk transmission of electricity, which failed repeatedly.

“Early Today, however, TCN lines engineers along with security operatives patrolled the line and discovered that towers 193 and 194 along the 330kV transmission line were brought down using an explosive device, whose fragments are scattered at the site of the incident. The area affected by this incident is Maiduguri and its environs,” it stated.

Many of the power assets in the North-east region have for long come under attacks by terrorists who blow them up randomly, thereby throwing the zone into incessant darkness.

In May, TCN reported the  vandalism of three electricity towers in Maiduguri, Borno State, thereby delaying the restoration of electricity supply to the North-east region.

In a statement at the time by the TCN signed by its Public Affairs Manager, Ndidi Mbah, the company noted that it had encountered some delays in its effort to restore power supply to the North-east due to the collapse of one of its towers during the “cabling process.”

It stated that while the TCN was working on reconstructing and restringing the four vandalised towers, three towers along the Biu-Dambua 132kV transmission line, were also vandalised with 16 spans of conductors stolen. The towers, which collapsed, it said, included towers T1690, T1691, and T1692.

Lamenting the latest incident, the TCN recalled that on the December 28, 2023, towers T193, T194 and T195, were destroyed, using similar explosive devices like the previous ones.

“Recall that on the 28 of December, 2023, towers T193, T194 and T195, were destroyed, using similar Improvised Explosives (IEDs). Two out of the towers in question are the towers affected by yesterday’s vandalism attack, which were rebuilt after that incident.

“TCN is currently assessing the situation with the view to deciding on the best approach to ensuring the temporary restoration of the power supply while a contractor is mobilised to rebuild the two transmission towers,” the statement added.

TCN stated that it will continue to do everything possible with the assistance of security operatives to protect the transmission towers .

“ We are also calling upon the government and well-meaning Nigerians to join in the fight against the destruction of our collective national assets,” it stated.