The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed that vandals brought down Tower No. T372 along the Gombe-Damaturu-Maiduguri 330kV transmission line.
In a statement shared on its official X account, signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs Ndidi Mbah on Sunday, TCN said the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, plunged Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, and the entire Maiduguri area of Borno State into a total power blackout.
Mbah explained that the vandals severed all four footings of the tower, causing its collapse as discovered by TCN’s linesmen who were on an emergency patrol of the transmission line.
“Following this destructive attack, efforts are ongoing by TCN’s engineers to back-feed Damaturu through a 33kV transmission line from Potiskum, while Maiduguri will receive power from the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP),” the statement added.
https://x.com/TCN_NIGERIA/status/1837912277137117385
TCN assured that work would commence promptly to dismantle and evacuate the damaged tower, with plans for its reconstruction already underway, pledging to restore power supply to the affected regions as quickly as possible.
The TCN expressed frustration over repeated attacks on critical national infrastructure, calling for greater vigilance by citizens. “We enjoin citizens to be vigilant in protecting these national assets and to report suspicious activities or persons around transmission infrastructure to law enforcement agents or TCN offices in the vicinity,” the company emphasized.
This is not the first time the Gombe-Damaturu-Maiduguri transmission line has been targeted. Repeated incidents of vandalism have raised concerns about the security of Nigeria’s energy infrastructure, particularly in the northeastern region where insurgency and other security challenges persist.