Again, vandals destroy 13 towers on 132KV electricity transmission line

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said on Thursday that vandals destroyed 13 towers on the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that TCN towers T97 to T99 were destroyed by vandals on 29 July.

Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s general manager of public Affairs, in a statement in Abuja, said the incident was first reported by the youth president of the Ukpeli Community in Rivers State on 12 August.

The company said the destroyed towers are located in several communities, including Okobe in Ahoada East Local Government Area and Emezhi 1 in Ahoada West.

Others are in Mbiama in Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, as well as the Igbogene community in Bayelsa State.

TCN said the Port-Harcourt region of TCN, led by the general manager of transmission, Emmanuel Akpa, promptly visited the site near TCN’s Ahoada transmission substation to assess the situation.

The company said that the team confirmed that 13 towers, from T52 to T64, were affected by the act of vandalism.

The TCN further stated that nine towers collapsed completely, while four were hanging precariously and could collapse at any moment.

The Managing Director of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, described the incident as a national disaster.

He urged the governments of Rivers and Bayelsa States to assist TCN in addressing the ongoing vandalism of its installations, which has “become increasingly alarming and overwhelming”.

He said TCN recently responded to the vandalised and subsequent collapse of towers T97 to T99 on the same line route on 29 July, with ongoing work to rebuild the vandalised towers.

“Additionally, a new contract was recently awarded for the reinforcement of towers 19-31 on the Ahoada-Yenagoa line, where tower members had been vandalised and stolen.

“In spite of these ongoing efforts, the recent vandalism of the towers presents a significant challenge to TCN.

‘‘It is important to note that the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit Transmission line is crucial for evacuating power from the Ahoada transmission substation to the Yenagoa substation, which supplies electricity to the entire Bayelsa.

“Given the extent of the destruction to the towers and the ongoing work on previously vandalised transmission towers, it may take several months for TCN to complete the rebuilding and stringing of the towers to restore power supply to the state.

“TCN once again appeals to security operatives, host communities, traditional rulers, state governments, and all stakeholders to collaborate with TCN in the fight against power installation vandalism. Urgent action is required,” he said.