The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced that Bayelsa State and some communities in Rivers State will face an extended power outage due to the recent vandalism of 13 transmission towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line. This incident has left nine towers completely collapsed and four others dangerously close to falling.
The discovery was made by a team led by Emmanuel Akpa, the General Manager of TCN's Port Harcourt Transmission region, during an inspection of the site. According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, the vandalism was first reported by the Youth President of the Ukpeli Community in Rivers State on August 12, 2024.
The Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit Transmission line is critical for delivering power from the Ahoada Transmission Substation to the Yenagoa Substation, which supplies electricity to the entire Bayelsa State. Due to the severity of the damage, TCN warns that it may take several months to rebuild the affected towers and restore power to the impacted areas.
Sule Abdulaziz, TCN’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, described the incident as "a national disaster" and called on the governments of Rivers and Bayelsa states to collaborate with TCN to address the growing problem of infrastructure vandalism. He expressed concern over the increasing frequency and scale of such acts, noting that TCN had only recently begun repairing towers T97 to T99 on the same line after they were vandalized on July 29, 2024.
The 13 vandalized towers are spread across multiple communities, including Okobe in Ahoada East, Emezhi 1 in Ahoada West, Mbiama in Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, and Igbogene in Bayelsa State.
In response to this ongoing challenge, TCN has called on the public, security forces, local communities, traditional leaders, state governments, and other stakeholders to support efforts to protect power infrastructure from further vandalism.
