Two TCN Transmission Towers Vandalized In Bayelsa

By Daniel Dafe

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said that two transmission towers, T98 and T99 along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line were vandalized on July 29, 2024, in the Igbooghene Community of Bayelsa state.

Ndidi Mbah, GM, Public Affairs, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, “this incident caused the collapse of both towers, cutting off power supply to Bayelsa State, including TCN’s Yenagoa Substation and the Gbarain Power Station. Presently, Yenagoa Metropolis and the entire Bayelsa State are still without power supply.”

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The statement continued: “Our engineers led by the General Manager Transmission, Port Harcourt Region, Engr. Emmanuel Akpa and accompanied by men from the DSS have inspected the site of the vandalized towers. Plans are already ongoing to mobilize a contractor on an emergency basis to reconstruct the collapsed towers.

“This follows an incident on June 16, 2024, where an individual was caught vandalizing tower T238 along the Owerri-Ahoada 132kV double circuit transmission lines. Another act of vandalism occurred on June 10, 2024, at the Ahoada Transmission Substation.”

TCN urged the public to help in the ongoing fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure nationwide.

“The company will continue to collaborate with security operatives and host communities including the DSS and Civil Defence Corps to combat the menace.

“Meanwhile, we are interfacing with stakeholders including security operatives in Yenagoa to put in place other initiatives geared towards helping TCN curtail the menace within the State.

“As we continue to work towards a robust grid, it is pertinent to note that a nation’s power sector cannot grow efficiently if funds intended for infrastructural expansion are repeatedly used to replace vandalized equipment,” the statement said.