Parts of the Northeast experienced electricity blackouts when vandals deliberately brought down towers T372 and T373 on the Gombe-Damaturu 330kV Synchronous Condenser transmission line. Ndidi Mbah, the General Manager of Public Affairs at the Transmission Company of Nigeria, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday.
In the statement, the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported that Tower T372, located around Katsaita Village in Yobe State, was vandalized on December 21, causing the 330kV transmission tower to collapse. This, in turn, brought down Tower T373 along the same transmission line route, resulting in power supply failures in parts of the North East, specifically Yobe and Borno States.
During a patrol to investigate the power supply cut, TCN engineers discovered the fallen towers. Villagers confirmed hearing a loud explosion before the tower collapse, and upon closer inspection, engineers found evidence of explosives used by the vandals.
TCN promptly mobilized one of its contractors to the incident site to initiate the reconstruction of the damaged transmission towers. The company strongly condemned the incident, expressing regret for the inconvenience caused to the government and people of Yobe and Borno states. Despite the pledge to swiftly re-erect the towers and restore power supply, the statement did not specify a timeline for the completion of the reconstruction process.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria emphasized its commitment to combating vandalism and preserving national power infrastructure. It called on host communities to collaborate in safeguarding these collective assets. Notably, TCN had previously reported in September that vandals had destroyed 109 transmission towers nationwide within nine months.