Blackout Looms In Borno As Vandals Bomb Power Transmission Towers

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that two of its towers, identified as T193 and T194, situated along the Damaturu – Maiduguri 330 Kilo Volt (KV Single Circuit) transmission lines, have once more fallen victim to acts of vandalism.

In a press release issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the General Manager of Public Affairs at TCN, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed the details of the incident.

Mbah reported that the vandalism occurred around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, following a power transformer at the Molai Substation tripping.

She mentioned that the power failure coincided with the 330kV transmission line that was providing the majority of power to Maiduguri from the 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, 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,” Mbah noted.

Mbah shared that on December 28, 2023, the towers T193, T194, and T195 were damaged by makeshift bombs.

She mentioned that the two towers damaged by Tuesday’s act of vandalism were among those rebuilt following the event.

She further stated that TCN is presently evaluating the circumstances to determine the most effective strategy for temporarily restoring electricity while a contractor is being mobilized to reconstruct the two transmission towers.

“We will continue to do everything possible with the assistance of security operatives to protect our 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,”she said.