The Transmission Company of Nigeria says two transmission towers, T98 and T99, along the Ahoada/Yenagoa 132kV line in the Igbooghene community of Bayelsa, have been vandalised.

TCN’s spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

It said the damage caused the collapse of both towers, cutting off the power supply to Bayelsa, including TCN’s Yenagoa sub-station and the Gbarain power station.

TCN said that Yenagoa metropolis and other parts of Bayelsa had no power supply following the towers’ damage.

The company said engineers led by Emmanuel Akpa, the general manager in charge of transmission for the Port Harcourt region, accompanied by operatives of the State Security Service, inspected the towers.

“Plans are already ongoing to mobilise a contractor on an emergency basis to reconstruct the collapsed towers. This follows an incident on June 16, where an individual was caught destroying tower T238  along the Owerri/Ahoada 132kV double circuit transmission lines.

“Another act of vandalism occurred on June 10 at the Ahoada Transmission Substation,” TCN said.

The company urged the public to help in the ongoing fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure nationwide.

TCN said it will continue collaborating with security operatives and host communities, including the SSS and NSCDC, to combat the menace.

“Meanwhile, we are interfacing with stakeholders including security operatives in Yenagoa to put in place other initiatives geared towards helping TCN curtail the menace within the state.

“As we continue to work towards a robust grid, it is pertinent to note that a nation’s power sector cannot grow efficiently if funds intended for infrastructural expansion are repeatedly used to replace vandalised equipment,” TCN said. 

(NAN)