Vandals once again attacked the 330kV Lokoja – Gwagwalada transmission line 1, disrupting the flow of bulk power in the wee hours of Saturday.
In a statement on Saturday, Ndidi Mbah, the General Manager, Public Affairs of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), marked the incident as part of an increasing trend of targeted assaults on critical power installations.
According to Ndidi, engineers were in the process of re-energizing the line when it unexpectedly tripped where efforts to restore power failed, prompting TCN to dispatch linesmen to trace the fault.
“Early on Saturday, TCN engineers attempted to re-energize the 330kV Lokoja-Gwagwalada transmission line 1, but the line tripped. After efforts to reclose, the line failed, a patrol team of TCN linesmen was dispatched to physically trace the line for faults.
“Upon inspection, they discovered that transmission towers T306, T307, and T308 along line 1 had been vandalized, disrupting bulk power transmission along the route, the statement partly read.
https://twitter.com/TCN_NIGERIA/status/1855687627938160739/photo/1
Ndidi explained that the transmission towers T306, T307, and T308 had been vandalized, and two spans of aluminium conductors were stolen, impacting the transmission of electricity along the route.
“Further examination revealed that the vandals had stolen two spans of aluminium conductor from line one. The Lokoja–Gwagwalada line is a double-circuit transmission line, and while TCN is still supplying bulk power through line two, efforts are underway to source replacement aluminium conductors for the two spans stolen from line one.”
The disruptions show the challenges posed by continued vandalism, which hampers the expansion and stability of Nigeria’s already strained national grid.
The Gwagwalada area has been a frequent target, with recent cases including the vandalisation of the Gwagwalada–Kukuwaba–Apo transmission line in December 2023, and the Gwagwalada–Katampe line in February 2024.
The recurrent sabotage threatens the reliability of the power supply and impedes efforts to fortify and expand Nigeria’s power transmission network.
Continuing, Ndidi appealed to the public and communities near transmission infrastructures to assist in safeguarding the installations from vandals calling for increased vigilance and cooperation with security agencies to combat this persistent threat.
This is coming barely two weeks after darkness descended on towns and villages in many parts of Northern Nigeria following the disruption of two 330kV Ugwaji-Apir Double Circuit transmission lines.
The 12-day blackouts have grounded activities, slowed down businesses, disrupted lights and put residents and locals in difficult situations.
Babaji Usman Babaji is an investigative journalist with over four years of experience, renowned for his impactful reporting on corruption, human rights violations, and holding those in power accountable in Nigeria.
His career is distinguished by participation in numerous media training programs and conferences, which have honed his investigative and reporting skills. Babaji’s data-driven stories have made a significant impact, particularly in Northern Nigeria, shedding light on critical issues and driving meaningful change.
As a reporter under WikkiTimes’ Collaborative Media (CMEDIA) Project, Babaji has led several groundbreaking investigations. He was a 2022 fellow of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and a 2024 Media Foundation for West Africa DPI/DPG fellow. His contributions to accountability journalism earned him a Certificate of Recognition from Xchange Hama Media for impactful community work.
