The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported that its tower T372, part of the Gombe-Damaturu-Maiduguri 330 kV transmission line, was brought down by vandals on Saturday around 1:44 am. Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, stated that the incident has resulted in a power outage affecting Damaturu in Yobe and Maiduguri in Borno.
Mbah explained that the vandals cut off all four footing of the tower, leading to its collapse, which was discovered by TCN linesmen on emergency patrol. In response, Maiduguri will temporarily receive power from the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP), while efforts are underway to back-feed Damaturu through a 33kV transmission line from Potiskum.
Immediate plans include dismantling and evacuating the collapsed tower for reconstruction and restoration of the transmission line. TCN condemned the ongoing attacks on national assets and urged citizens to remain vigilant, reporting any suspicious activities near transmission infrastructure to law enforcement or TCN offices. Mbah emphasized TCN’s commitment to restoring power quickly and expediting reconstruction efforts for the affected areas.