During an inspection conducted by a team of TCN engineers, led by the Port Harcourt Region General Manager, Engr. Emmanuel Akpa, the team verified the integrity of the 20 newly erected towers (Nos. 48–64 and 97–99) that were destroyed in a series of vandalism incidents on July 29 and August 12, 2024. In June, TCN reported that two of its towers, T193 and T194, along the Damaturu -Maiduguri 330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line, had again been struck by vandals following a similar incident in December 2023.
Earlier in August 2024, 13 transmission towers on the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line were reportedly vandalized. The Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line, which was being repaired after earlier damage, was targeted by vandals again on November 19, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). About one-third of the conductor was stolen as a result of the attack, which targeted towers 29 to 31. Upon examining in November, TCN reported that bulk power transmission along line 1 was disrupted by vandalism on transmission towers T306, T307, and T308 along the line.
Frequent vandalism has eroded previous gains.
In 2024 alone, the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported spending ₦8.8 billion to repair and rehabilitate 128 transmission towers that had been vandalized. In addition to upsetting the balance of power, these attacks made the already overburdened sector even more financially burdened. Power Generation is now limited to between 4,000MW and 5,000MW per year due to the frequency of vandalism, which has hampered progress despite increased Security measures. According to Adelabu, since assuming office, the administration has increased the national grid’s generating capacity by about 1,000MW, reaching a peak of 5,231MW at the end of November.
However, many of these achievements were eroded by the regular destruction of infrastructure, leaving businesses and people to deal with an unpredictable power supply. The minister bemoaned these incidents’ long-term effects, which have not only delayed work but also raised operating expenses and repair schedules. There have been calls for a more comprehensive security approach due to the ongoing attacks on electrical infrastructure. Authorities are also looking into working together with Private Sector companies and local communities to make the energy sector more resilient to sabotage.
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In response to the growing trend of vandalism, the Minister revealed that the National Assembly is presently considering a law that would punish offenders with death penalty. This move aims to prevent more critical Infrastructure sabotage, which has put a heavy burden on government resources and resulted in major setbacks for the power industry. The Minister emphasized that the proposed death penalty measure accurately captures the gravity of the problem, since vandalism not only jeopardizes lives and livelihoods but also undermines national development. With higher budgetary allotments for Electricity infrastructure and redoubled efforts to tackle the problems of vandalism and financing shortages, the government’s attention is now turning to 2025.