The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed that a group of Vandals have destroyed at least 14 spans of high-voltage transmission towers in Niger State, causing an increase in raised concerns over power stability and economic security over infrastructural facilities.
The TCN held that the saboteur act on the 132-kilovolt line facility as a deliberate act against national infrastructure, warning that repeated attacks on transmission assets are putting electricity supply, public safety and industrial growth at risk, adding that restoration efforts would require significant financial commitments that could otherwise be used to strengthen the grid.
The damaged facility forms part of a long-standing transmission corridor originally built several decades ago to support bulk electricity evacuation through key locations linking the Shiroro axis to surrounding urban centres and the Federal Capital Territory, but stated that the infrastructure, which had functioned for years without major disruption, has recently become a target for criminal activity.
A senior transmission official, Musa Shuaibu, who leads operations in the Abuja Region, explained on Monday that the situation has become increasingly troubling, mentioning that the situation has prompted the company to deepen engagement with traditional leaders, security agencies and local vigilante groups to curb the trend.
Shuaibu alarmed that conductors which served communities for decades are now being cut and stolen for minimal financial gain. He further disclosed that about 14 spans of conductors had already been destroyed, estimating that direct repairs could cost around N32 million, while contractual execution would push the figure significantly higher.
According to him, such funds should have been channelled into expanding infrastructure and improving electricity reliability, and further stressing that beyond financial loss, the destruction poses a serious risk to essential services, including hospitals, households and businesses that depend on a steady electricity supply.
He stated that once the lines are taken out, the entire communities suffer interruptions that affect both daily life and critical medical services. Shuaibu also warned of potential dangers linked to damaged high-voltage installations, explaining that residual electrical charge on fallen conductors could endanger farmers, residents and livestock in affected areas.
The official further linked the repeated attacks to broader economic consequences, arguing that persistent damage to transmission infrastructure could discourage investment, weaken industrial expansion and reduce government revenue generation capacity, and in addition, he revealed that several suspects arrested in similar cases elsewhere were already being prosecuted, reinforcing the company’s position that vandalism of power assets now attracts strict legal consequences.
Shuaibu appealed for stronger community participation in safeguarding transmission infrastructure, urging residents to report suspicious activities.