June 3 (THEWILL) — Fresh attacks on Nigeria’s critical power infrastructure have resulted in the destruction of six transmission towers along the Apir–Lafia 330kV transmission corridor, with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirming another major act of vandalism against the national grid network.
TCN, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed that towers T125 to T130 on the Apir–Lafia 330kV Transmission Lines I and II were vandalised, leading to severe disruption of electricity transmission operations along the route.
According to the company, the incident occurred at approximately 1:15 a.m. on May 30, 2026, during a heavy downpour, resulting in the collapse of the affected towers and triggering the tripping of the transmission lines.
TCN said an initial trial reclosure of Line II was attempted at about 2:08 a.m. after the outage was recorded, but the effort failed, prompting an emergency investigation by technical teams.
“The tripping of the lines prompted a physical line trace to determine the fault, which revealed damage to critical components of towers T125 to T130, confirming acts of vandalism on the affected sections of the transmission corridor”, the company stated.
Following the incident, both Apir–Lafia 330kV Transmission Lines I and II remain out of service pending the reconstruction of the damaged towers.
The company said engineers and technical personnel have already been mobilised to the site to determine the extent of destruction and identify the materials required for repair works to restore normal transmission operations.
To reduce the immediate impact on electricity consumers, TCN said temporary measures have been activated, with the Lafia 330kV Transmission Station currently receiving supply through the Lafia–Jos transmission line.
The alternative arrangement, according to the company, is intended to minimise disruptions in areas covered by Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).
TCN condemned the continued sabotage of transmission facilities, warning that such criminal activities undermine years of investment and efforts to improve electricity delivery across the country.
The company further appealed to host communities and the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities around transmission facilities to security agencies and nearby TCN offices.
It stressed that protecting critical national infrastructure requires collective responsibility, noting that safeguarding power installations remains essential to sustaining a reliable electricity supply nationwide.
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