Blackout as vandals destroy major electricity towers

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported the vandalism of two towers along its 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines 1 and 2, resulting in blackout in parts of Kano and Kaduna states.

A report from TCN’s Shiroro Regional Office confirmed the damage, which led to widespread blackouts in the affected areas.

In a statement signed by the General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, TCN disclosed that preparations are underway to deploy a newly acquired “emergency restoration system” to the site while efforts to rebuild the destroyed towers are ongoing.

Although the company did not directly link the attack to banditry, there are suspicions that the recent killing of 13 farmers in the Shiroro area might be connected to the vandalism.

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria announces that two towers along its 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines 1 and 2 have been vandalised, damaging parts of both transmission lines,” the statement read.

The statement further explained that the first transmission line tripped, followed by the second line, while engineers were still attempting to restore the initial outage. In response, local vigilante groups were mobilized to secure the lines.

The company identified the damaged structures as towers T133 and T136, with multiple sections of cables severely affected.

An aerial survey was conducted in partnership with security personnel to assess the extent of the damage and monitor potential threats to TCN infrastructure in the area.

“Arrangements are in top gear to deploy the newly procured ‘emergency restoration system’ to the site, pending the reconstruction of the damaged towers,” the statement added.

In the meantime, engineers have implemented temporary measures to supply electricity to Kano and Kaduna through the 330kV Kaduna–Jos transmission line.

The vandalism of the Shiroro–Kaduna lines, which are each capable of transmitting 600MW, poses a significant challenge to power distribution in the region.

“We are, however, committed to re-erecting the towers and restringing the transmission lines to restore bulk power transmission through both 330kV power transmission lines,” the statement concluded.