TCN arrests six suspected vandals, secures four convictions in Rivers 

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, Port Harcourt region has decried the continued attack on its towers, saying it has secured four convictions and arrested six suspected vandals within its jurisdiction.

This is as the company confirmed the repairs and erecting of 20 vandalised towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132KV lines which it said hitherto plunged most parts of Bayelsa State into four months of darkness.

The TCN General Manager, Port Harcourt Region, Emmanuel Anyaegbulem, disclosed this in Port Harcourt on Tuesday at a news briefing to showcase some of the achievements of the company in the last one year.

While noting that the TCN has 10 regions in the transmission sub-sector of Nigeria’s power industry, Anyaegbulem said the Port Harcourt region comprises six states including  Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.

He stated, “Unfortunately this year, we have a very serious challenge precisely on the 29th of July, 2024 we had this incident that lasted for about four months.

“That is the collapse of towers on the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132KV lines. And this is the only line that feeds Bayelsa State. It was a very big challenge to us almost from July till recently on November 30th when we were able to restore the lines.

“Some of these hoodlums became the situation in the country for all the channels we used to brace the tower, use machines and cut those channels and sell them as scrubs.

“To construct a tower is nothing less than N12 to N13 million as at the time it was done. When they cut off the brackets that are used to hold these towers together, the towers become vulnerable.

“With the slightest breeze, you see them collapsing. When they collapse they will pull the other ones adjacent and it will be a cascaded effect. That is exactly what happened on 29th July.

” And TCN lost  about 20 towers between Ahoada (in Rivers State and Yenagoa (in Bayelsa State).”

He continued, “So it is one of the greatest challenges I actually experienced in my years of service because that is the first time we have had as many as 20 towers collapsing at a time.

“We battled of course it was rough terrain, swampy areas and all that. It took a lot of time and resources for TCN to mobilize contractors to start that. We have 330 and 132 lines. And these are the voltage levels transmission operates.”

He stated that the damage to the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission lines raised a lot of concerns due to the associated suffering the people experienced.

Anyaegbulem, however, expressed happiness that the problem was now a thing of the past with the “Erecting and restringing of 20 vandalized towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132KV lines.”

On the arrest being mad,e he said, “We ensure that anyone that is caught is handed over to the police or whoever and follow it up.

“So we have been able to prosecute four and six are in police custody now you know, going to court and all that.”

The TCN GM, Port Harcourt Region called on communities to own the project and ensure that anyone caught tampering with its equipment is arrested and handed over to the security agencies.

He listed other achievements by the company to include the commissioning of a 100MVA power transformer at Port Harcourt main transmission Substation and rehabilitation of the 132/33KV switch yard.

Anyaegbulem added, “The region took delivery of a 150 MVA 330/33KV power transformer at its Adiabo transmission substation under the Calabar sub-region.  Delivery of 100/110MVA power transformer and accessories at Port Harcourt main transmission substation.

” Upgrade of Itu 132/33KV transmission sub-station with additional  60MVA transformer and three outgoing feeders, digital control panels, circuit breakers, isolators and battery banks.”

Anyaegbulem explained that the job of transmission is simply to wield power or transport the same without directly interfacing with the consumers, which he said was the business of the power distribution firms.

“Our job is to make sure that we are able to wield this power efficiently and effectively from the generating companies to load centers. And we do that using all these towers,” he said.