He Nigerian Transmission Company (TCN) said on Friday that three of its towers along the Maiduguri-Damaturu transmission line were destroyed with explosives on Thursday.
This was made known in a statement by the general director of Public Affairs of TCN, Ndidi Mbah.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN hereby confirms the destruction of three of its towers along the Maiduguri – Damaturu transmission line with explosives yesterday, December 28, 2023,” Ms Mbah said.
He said apart from the destruction of the three towers, the very sad incident also cost the life of an officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
“It is truly another very sad day for us at TCN, with this incident, especially with the loss of life of the NSCDC official.
“TCN stands with the family of the deceased and the NSCDC for this very sad and shocking incident,” he said.
In early December, TCN said its 132 kV Gwagwalada-Kukwaba-Apo 1 transmission line had been torn apart between Towers 23 and Tower 25.
Mbah said the vandalism of the line is suspected to have taken place at around 1am on Sunday, December 10.
Last week, TCN said one of its towers around Katsaita village in Yobe state was vandalized.
The company said vandalism toppled the 330 kV transmission tower that toppled the T373 tower along the same route of the transmission line.
Condemning the act in a statement last Saturday, Nigeria’s Minister of Energy, Adebayo Adelabu, called on all Nigerians to oppose such actions, noting that those responsible for the destructive act will face the full force of the law.
“Deeply concerned by the recent act of vandalism to our electrical infrastructure. A transmission tower in Yobe State, tower T372, was deliberately knocked down, causing a domino effect that led to the collapse of tower T373 along the same transmission line. This criminal act occurred at 21:18 and disrupted power supply to parts of the North East, affecting Yobe and Borno states,” Adelabu said in a statement posted on the X of him.
“While I condemn this deliberate sabotage, I call on all Nigerians to oppose such actions. We cannot allow a few people to hinder our efforts to provide regular electricity to the nation. “Our Ministry is working closely with law enforcement to investigate this incident thoroughly,” he added.
He explained that those responsible for this destructive act will face the full weight of the law.
He said vandalism not only disrupts power supply but also poses a threat to the safety and well-being of Nigerian communities.