The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says the police apprehended vandals in a blue pick-up van loaded with tower cables.

TCN’s spokesman, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

Ms Mbah said the items were allegedly stolen from transmission towers along the Damboa/Maiduguri 132KV line on  August 7. She said the vandals were currently in custody at the Damboa Police Station.

”They will be transferred to Police  Headquarters in Maiduguri. The items were stolen from the  Damboa/Maiduguri 132kV transmission line, which is still under reconstruction due to a previous vandal attack,” she said.

She said the company had also experienced several acts of vandalism of its facilities across the country.

“Between July 1 and August 11,  TCN installations have experienced numerous vandalism attacks. These incidents are widespread, affecting every transmission region.

“On August 11, vandals attacked towers T377, T378, and T379 along the Gombe-Damaturu 330kV transmission line, which is undergoing rapid and urgent repair,” she said.

She said the repair followed a previous vandalism incident involving IEDs on towers T193 and T194,  adding that two of the vandals were killed by hunters at the Damaturu end of the line.

”On August 3 and August 5, vandals attacked towers along two transmission line routes under the Enugu Region of TCN. The first attack targeted tower T9 on the Apir-Aliede 330kV transmission line, and the second one targeted tower T12 on the Apir-Otukpo-Yandev 123kV transmission line, both passing through Ikpayango Village.

”In response to the first incident, the local vigilante group acted promptly, preventing the vandals from stealing the skywire after it had been brought down. Also, on August 5, vandals managed to cut off and steal the yellow phase conductor from towers T11 to T12 along the Apir-Otukpo-Yandev line.

“This caused a tripping of the 150 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA)  power transformer at the Apir transmission substation,” Ms Mbah said.

She said that TCN engineers responded swiftly by removing the remaining conductors on tower T11, allowing the continued bulk electricity supply to Yandev, Otukpo, and Takum through the 132kV New Haven-Otukpo transmission line.

She said the TCN team had successfully sectionalised the affected towers to facilitate repairs. 

According to her, they have also stabilised both ends of the sectionalised network that supplies power to Otukpo, Yandev, and Takum from the New Haven Substation. The 150MVA transformer has been tested and restored.

The TCN spokesperson said the incidents in Osogbo were reported to security operatives, including the military, police, SSS, and NSCDC.

Ms Mbah also disclosed that on July 19, in the Benin Region of TCN,  tower T449 at Oluku Community along the Ihovbor/Benin 330kV transmission line was vandalised. She said the three legs and supporting members were cut off, adding that TCN engineers swiftly carried out temporary repairs to prevent collapse.

According to her, transmission lines in the North-East, under the Bauchi region of TCN, have suffered multiple vandalism attacks at various points. She said the lines stretched from the Jos 330kV Transmission Substation to Bauchi through Gombe, Damaturu, and Maiduguri.

She said several other less severe acts of vandalism have also occurred.

(NAN)