Hopes of Rivers and Bayelsa States residents of celebrating Christmas and New Year with power supply from the distribution firm have been dashed after vandals attacked the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line, carting away items worth millions of Naira from the premises.
The attack occurred amid ongoing repair of the facility due to previous vandalism that threw many parts of the state into a blackout.
The attack came three months after the vandals attacked the facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) disclosed the attack on Friday and attributed it to continued delay in repairs of the affected transmission lines in the state.
According to the firm, the attack, which affected towers 29 to 31, resulted in the theft of approximately one-third of the conductor.
TCN noted preliminary findings after its engineering team led by the General Manager of the Port Harcourt Region, Emmanuel Akpa, visited the facility, and revealed that the attack occurred at night.
“In an attempt to prevent further theft while repair arrangements are being made, local security has been engaged at Ula Ikata in Ahoada East LGA to secure the site until repairs are completed. Additionally, the line will be energized from the Ahoada end as a preventive measure.
“Efforts to replace the stolen 250mm conductor are currently underway. Despite challenges posed by difficult terrain and flooding, the restringing of the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV line is approximately 85% complete.
“Earlier in November, vandals also attacked transmission towers in the Okada and Ofosu Communities along the 330kV Benin-Egbin and Benin-Omotosho transmission lines. A total of 31 towers were affected in this incident.
“The vandalized towers which suffered significant damage, with critical components removed, were discovered by TCN linesmen during a routine patrol.
“TCN engineers from the Benin Sub-Region have initiated repairs to prevent the collapse of the affected towers and to avoid disruption of bulk power supply.
“These incidents underscore the urgent need to combat the growing problem of vandalism and theft affecting Nigeria’s power infrastructure. TCN calls on the public to support efforts to address these crimes, which have significantly hampered the expansion and stability of the national grid.
“As TCN intensifies its efforts to protect installations, we appeal to security operatives and local communities to be more vigilant in safeguarding power infrastructure in their areas”.
