Parts of Kano and Kaduna have been left without power after vandals destroyed two key transmission towers belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The towers, identified as T133 and T136, were located along the 330-kilovolt Shiroro-Kaduna lines 1 and 2. The damage caused significant disruption to the state’s power supply.
In a statement issued on Friday, October 18, TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah confirmed the extent of the damage, revealing that the vandalism targeted critical cables. Mbah explained that the transmission lines tripped one after the other, prompting an investigation and a swift response.
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“Efforts were still ongoing to reclose the first line when the second tripped, prompting the immediate mobilisation of local vigilantes to patrol the area,” she said.
To address the damage, TCN is deploying its newly acquired Emergency Restoration System while reconstruction efforts are underway.
Temporary measures are also being put in place to restore power to the affected areas through the 330kV Kaduna-Jos transmission line.
The Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines are vital to the power grid in the North West, each delivering up to 600 megawatts of electricity.
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However, this incident adds to the growing challenge of safeguarding the nation’s power infrastructure, especially in regions vulnerable to banditry.
The power outage comes just days after a national grid collapse, further exacerbating Nigeria’s already precarious electricity supply.