Residents of Bayelsa State in the South-South region of Nigeria are experiencing a severe power outage following the announcement by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) that its towers in the state capital, Yenagoa, have been vandalized.
The spokesperson of TCN, Ndidi Mbah, made this revelation in a statement on Thursday.
Mbah reported that on July 29, 2024, vandals targeted transmission towers T98 and T99 along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line in the Igbooghene Community, causing both towers to collapse.
According to him, the incident has resulted in a power outage affecting the entire Bayelsa State, including TCN’s Yenagoa Substation and the Gbarain Power Station.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hereby states that two transmission towers, T98 and T99 along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line were vandalized on July 29, 2024, in the Igbooghene Community of Bayelsa State.
“This incident caused the collapse of both towers, cutting off the power supply to Bayelsa State, including TCN’s Yenagoa Substation and the Gbarain Power Station. Presently, Yenagoa Metropolis and the entire Bayelsa State are still without power supply,” TCN said.
Vandalism in other South-south Regions
In addition, TCN explained that similar vandalism of its infrastructures has taken place in other South-south regions including Ahoada and Port Harcourt in River State.
The power company reported that an individual was caught last month vandalizing tower T238 along the Owerri-Ahoada 132kV double circuit transmission lines.
Mbah also mentioned another act of vandalism that occurred on June 10, 2024, at the Ahoada Transmission Substation.
Accordingly, TCN urged the public to help in the ongoing fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure nationwide, adding that the company will continue to collaborate with security operatives and host communities including the DSS and Civil Defence Corps to combat such menace.
“Our engineers led by the General Manager Transmission, Port Harcourt Region, Engr. Emmanuel Akpa accompanied by men from the DSS inspected the site of the vandalized towers. Plans are already ongoing to mobilize a contractor on an emergency basis to reconstruct the collapsed towers.
“This follows an incident on June 16, 2024, where an individual was caught vandalizing tower T238 along the Owerri-Ahoada 132kV double circuit transmission lines. Another act of vandalism occurred on June 10, 2024, at the Ahoada Transmission Substation.
“TCN is urging the public to help in the ongoing fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure nationwide. The company will continue to collaborate with security operatives and host communities including the DSS and Civil Defence Corps to combat the menace.
“Meanwhile, we are interfacing with stakeholders including security operatives in Yenagoa to put in place other initiatives geared towards helping TCN curtail the menace within the State,” TCN added.
What you should know
Many states in Nigeria continue to suffer from the vandalism of electricity infrastructure, often resulting in power outages lasting for weeks or even months.
In April 2024, TCN reported five incidents of tower vandalism in February alone.
It emphasized that the destruction of its facilities amounts to sabotage and urged security operatives and host communities to help apprehend the culprits.
Addressing the recent incidents, the company called on well-meaning Nigerians to support its campaign against the vandalism of electricity infrastructure in the country.