Residents of Maiduguri in Borno State have been thrown into darkness once more after vandals used explosives to destroy two newly rebuilt electricity towers, which had been replaced following similar vandalism in December 2023.
This incident was confirmed by the General Manager of Public Affairs at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Ndidi Mbah, in a press release on Wednesday.
According to the TCN statement, the two vandalized towers were part of three recently installed to replace those destroyed by similar explosive devices.
“Two of its towers, T193 and T194, along the Damaturu-Maiduguri 330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line have again been destroyed by vandals. The incident, TCN believes, happened at about 10:15 p.m. yesterday night when the 150MVA power transformer at Molai Substation tripped at the same time as the 330kV transmission line supplying bulk power to Maiduguri from Damaturu Transmission Substation,” the statement said.
Efforts by TCN engineers to restore power by closing the Mulai—Damaturu line repeatedly failed.
Upon patrolling the line with security operatives on Wednesday, the engineers discovered that towers 193 and 194 had been brought down using explosive devices, with fragments scattered at the site.
Mr. Mbah stated that the vandalism has significantly affected Maiduguri and its environs.
The company recalled that towers T193, T194, and T195 were similarly destroyed on December 28, 2023. Two of the towers affected by the latest attack were rebuilt following the previous incident.
The TCN is currently assessing the situation to determine the best approach for temporary power restoration while mobilizing a contractor to rebuild the damaged towers.
Vowing to protect transmission towers with the help of security operatives, the company urged the government and Nigerians to help combat the destruction of national assets.
