The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed that six high-voltage transmission towers on the Apir-Lafia 330kV corridor were vandalised in the early hours of Friday, May 30, 2926, knocking both transmission lines out of service and disrupting electricity supply across parts of north-central.
TCN said the incident, which affected towers T125 through T130 on transmission lines I and II, was first detected at approximately 1:15a.m. during a heavy downpour when the lines tripped off unexpectedly.
The company said its engineers attempted to restore line II through a trial reclosure at about 2:08a.m. but the attempt failed, prompting a physical inspection of the corridor.
It revealed that on-ground survey confirmed what it described as deliberate damage to critical structural components of the six towers pointing to an act of sabotage rather than weather-related failure.
TCN, in a statement by its General Manager, Public Affairs, said both lines remain out of service as engineers assess the full extent of the destruction.
It informed that until the towers are rebuilt, power supply to the Lafia 330kV transmission station is being rerouted through the Lafia-Jos transmission line as a temporary workaround to limit disruptions to the consumers in the franchise areas of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).
TCN condemned the attack in strong terms, warning that the persistent vandalism of grid infrastructure erodes billions of naira in public investment and undermines the nation’s power sector reforms.
The company appealed to communities living near transmission installations to be watchful and report any suspicious activity to security agencies or the nearest TCN office, describing public cooperation as essential to protecting the national grid.
