A wave of vandalism has hit the nation’s power infrastructure, with vandals stripping critical structural components from six transmission towers along the Yola–Jalingo 330kV power line, threatening the stability of the facilities and prompting a police investigation that has led to the arrest of a principal suspect.
The damage was discovered during a routine line patrol on July 29, 2026, when its engineers found that approximately 130 bracing members had been removed from towers T995, T998, T999, T1002, T1003 and T1004. The theft left the towers structurally compromised and at risk of collapse.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), carried out a joint operation in the host community on July 30, engaging the village head and youth leaders while seeking their cooperation in identifying those responsible for the vandalism and recovering the stolen components.
The company disclosed that the police, on August 1, informed it of the arrest of a principal suspect linked to the incident and the recovery of part of the stolen tower members. TCN officials subsequently visited the recovery site to verify the materials and urged law enforcement authorities to ensure the suspect is prosecuted in accordance with the law.
According to the company, investigators have obtained credible leads from the suspect in custody and are working to apprehend other members of the vandalism syndicate, with investigations still ongoing.
In a statement signed by its management on Wednesday, TCN condemned the persistent vandalism of electricity transmission infrastructure, describing it as a criminal act that undermines years of investment in the power sector and threatens the reliability of electricity supply across the country.
The company appealed to host communities and members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities around transmission installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN office, stressing that protecting national grid assets requires collective responsibility to ensure a stable and reliable power supply.