The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported that two transmission towers, T98 and T99, along the Ahoada/Yenagoa 132kV line in the Igbooghene community of Bayelsa State, were destroyed by vandals.
TCN’s General Manager for Public Affairs, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, revealed in a statement on Friday that the destruction led to the collapse of both towers, resulting in a power outage affecting Bayelsa, including TCN’s Yenagoa Sub-station and the Gbarain Power Station.
As a result, Yenagoa Metropolis and the entire Bayelsa region remain without power. Engineers, led by Mr. Emmanuel Akpa, General Manager of Transmission for the Port Harcourt Region, along with operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS), have inspected the site.
Plans are underway to mobilize a contractor urgently to reconstruct the collapsed towers. This incident follows previous vandalism on June 16, where an individual was caught damaging tower T238 along the Owerri/Ahoada 132kV double circuit transmission lines, and another act of vandalism on June 10 at the Ahoada Transmission Substation.
TCN has called on the public to assist in combating the vandalism of power infrastructure and affirmed its commitment to collaborating with security agencies, including the DSS and Civil Defence Corps, to address the issue.
The company emphasized that continued vandalism diverts funds intended for infrastructure expansion, hindering the growth and efficiency of the nation’s power sector.
