January 17, (THEWILL) – Residents of Abuja have been plunged into darkness following the vandalism of the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s 132kV transmission line and underground cables supplying power to the city’s Central Area and surrounding communities.
TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed the incident in a statement on Friday, revealing that the attack, which occurred near the Millennium Park axis of Abuja, led to the theft of 40 meters of 1x500mm² XLPE conductors from two 132kV transmission lines.
Mbah noted that the vandalism has disrupted over 60% of Abuja’s power supply, leaving key districts such as Maitama, Wuse, Jabi, Life Camp, Asokoro, Utako, and Mabushi in darkness.
“The vandalised 132kV underground cable transports bulk electricity to TCN’s 132kV Central Area Transmission Substation, which then supplies power through eight distribution feeders to AEDC for onward supply to its customers in the Central Area and environs,” the statement read.
In response to the outage, TCN engineers have been mobilized to the site to commence urgent repair work on the damaged cables.
The company appealed to Nigerians to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities around transmission facilities to security agencies, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding power infrastructure for the nation’s development.
“This unfortunate incident underscores the need for heightened vigilance in protecting our transmission equipment and installations. We must all collaborate to ensure the stability of the nation’s power sector,” the statement added.
The blackout comes as a blow to residents and businesses in the affected areas, highlighting ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power infrastructure.
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