The body of a suspected cable vandal has recovered under a collapsed and vandalised transmission tower along the 330kV Ughelli-Benin transmission line in Delta State.
The body of the unidentified vandal was said to have been discovered during an intensive line patrol conducted by the Delta Sub-Region Lines Maintenance Department (LMD) of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) after the Ughelli-Benin 330kV transmission line tripped on earth fault.
TCN confirmed the incident on Saturday through a statement made available to newsmen, clarifying the incidents that led to the body recovered under the vandalised facility
According to the company, the patrol team traced the fault to Tower 101, which had collapsed, and on arrival at the site, the body of the suspected vandal was found crushed between the tower members.
The company also disclosed that further inspection showed that Tower 101 on the adjacent Ughelli-Sapele 330kV transmission line had been severely vandalised, although it was still standing at the time of the report.
TCN condemned the vandalism and warned that attacks on power infrastructure pose grave risks not only to electricity supply and national assets but also to human lives.
The company appealed to host communities and members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around power installations to security agencies and the nearest TCN office.
“The fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure is one that must be inclusive. All hands must be on deck for this fight to be won,” the company said.
It described the death as a tragic reminder of the dangers involved in tampering with electricity facilities, stressing that vandalism often leads to power outages, costly damage and avoidable loss of life.
“Protecting power infrastructure is a civic responsibility. Stop the vandals, or they will stop power for us all,” TCN warned.
The company said it remained committed to safeguarding transmission assets nationwide and called for stronger public support in curbing the growing menace of infrastructure vandalism.