Parts of Kaduna State have been left without electricity following the collapse of a key power transmission line operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
According to a statement from TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah, the collapse happened at Tower Number 7 on the Kaduna Town Lines One and Two, located in the Rigasa area of Igabi Local Government Area.
Mbah explained that the tower fell after a severe rainstorm and strong winds, and the situation was made worse by vandalism, as essential structural components had been removed.
As a result, power supply to multiple distribution centres in Kaduna South was cut off, affecting thousands of households and businesses.
“The tower collapse caused a cut in the transmission of bulk power to some Kaduna Electric distribution load centres, particularly the ones through which they supply some parts of Kaduna South.
“While inspecting the site of the incident, TCN’s linemen discovered that vandals had carted away some of the tower members, making it susceptible to collapse.
“However, to ensure that the impact of the incident is curtailed, TCN has advised Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company to link its 33kV Mogadishu feeder with 33kV Abakwa feeder to enable electricity customers in Mogadishu to have access to power supply,” the statement said.
TCN has, however, said that other parts of Kaduna metropolis, including Kinkinau, Yan Tukwane, Kabala West, Unguwan Muazu, and Kaduna North, remain unaffected.
It added that its team of engineers have moved to the site to clear the wreckage and commence the process of re-erecting the tower.
To cushion the impact of the outage, TCN said that it has directed Kaduna Electric to link its 33kV Mogadishu feeder with the 33kV Abakwa feeder to restore partial supply to affected areas.