The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the arrest of a vandal in Osun State. The individual was apprehended on Tuesday night by armed vigilantes while attempting to sabotage a transmission tower.
TCN also revealed that two accomplices are still at large and are currently being pursued by authorities. The incident was reported in a statement shared by TCN on its official X (formerly Twitter) account and obtained by Channels Television on Tuesday.
According to TCN, the same transmission tower in the Ikeji-Ile area of Osun State was previously vandalized on August 13, 2024, with critical components stolen. The suspects reportedly returned on the night of August 26 to continue their destructive activities, leading to the arrest of one of them.
Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, expressed concern over the rising threat of vandalism, particularly in communities hosting power installations. She highlighted that between July 1 and August 11, 2024, TCN experienced numerous vandalism incidents across all its transmission regions.
Mbah detailed several alarming cases, including an August 7 incident where security operatives intercepted vandals in a blue pick-up van loaded with stolen tower components and cables along the Damboa/Maiduguri 132KV transmission line. Two of the vandals were reportedly killed by hunters at the Damaturu end of the line.
Additionally, on August 3 and 5, 2024, vandals attacked towers in the Enugu Region. The first attack targeted Tower T9 on the Apir-Aliede 330kV transmission line, while the second targeted Tower T12 on the Apir-Otukpo-Yandev 123kV transmission line, passing through Ikpayango Village.
On August 5, vandals also cut and stole a yellow phase conductor from towers T11 to T12 along the same route, causing a trip of the 150MVA power transformer at the Apir Transmission Substation.
Mbah recounted other incidents, including the vandalism of Tower T328 along the 330kV Osogbo-Ganmo line in Osogbo, Osun State, on July 24, 2024.
This attack severely damaged the tower, leaving it twisted and bent, with neighbouring towers T327 and T329 also affected. In the Benin Region, vandals targeted towers at Oluku Community on July 19 and 25, cutting off supporting members and legs of the structures.
Similar attacks were reported in the Port Harcourt and Bauchi Regions, where multiple towers collapsed due to the damage.
Mbah called on host communities to take collective action against the vandals and urged communities, security agencies, and vigilantes to collaborate in safeguarding power installations across the country.
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