Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, and Maiduguri in Borno State are facing power outages due to the vandalism of a vital transmission tower.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reported that Tower No. T372 along the 330kV Gombe-Damaturu-Maiduguri transmission line was intentionally destroyed by vandals early Saturday morning.
In a press release on Sunday, Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, confirmed that the incident occurred around 1:44 AM.
The statement noted, “This situation has left all of Damaturu and Maiduguri without power supply.” The vandals severed all four footings of the tower, causing its collapse, which was discovered by TCN’s maintenance team during an emergency patrol.
The company explained that temporary measures are being implemented to restore power. “Following this destructive act, TCN’s engineers are working to back feed Damaturu using a 33kV transmission line from Potiskum, while Maiduguri will receive power from the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant,” the statement outlined. TCN also committed to immediate action, stating, “Work will start right away to dismantle and remove the collapsed tower for reconstruction and to restore the transmission line.”
Emphasizing the importance of protecting national infrastructure, TCN urged citizens to report any suspicious activities.
“TCN strongly condemns the ongoing attacks on our national assets and encourages the public to remain vigilant in protecting these assets, as well as to report any suspicious persons or activities around our transmission facilities to law enforcement or TCN offices nearby,” it stated.
As restoration efforts began, TCN reassured residents of its dedication to speeding up the repair process to restore power to the affected areas as quickly as possible.
“TCN is committed to quickly restoring bulk power to the affected regions and will expedite the reconstruction of the tower to ensure prompt completion,” the statement concluded.
