Power supply to Abuja faced another major disruption following an incident of vandalism on the 330kV Lokoja-Gwagwalada transmission line.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed in a statement that the early-morning attack on November 9, 2024, severely damaged three critical towers, impacting the energy flow to the nation’s capital.
According to TCN officials, engineers attempted to restore power to the Lokoja-Gwagwalada transmission line but experienced a setback when the line unexpectedly tripped.
A technical team was sent to investigate, and upon inspection, they discovered extensive damage to transmission towers T306, T307, and T308 along the line.
The vandals reportedly removed two spans of valuable aluminum conductor, which is crucial for the line’s operation.
“Early on Saturday, TCN engineers attempted to re-energize the 330kV Lokoja–Gwagwalada transmission line 1, but the line tripped. After efforts to reclose the line failed, a patrol team of TCN linesmen was dispatched to physically trace the line for faults. Upon inspection, they discovered that transmission towers T306, T307, and T308 along line 1 had been vandalized, disrupting bulk power transmission along the route.
“Further examination revealed that the vandals had stolen two spans of aluminium conductor from line one. The Lokoja–Gwagwalada line is a double-circuit transmission line, and while TCN is still supplying bulk power through line two, efforts are underway to source replacement aluminium conductors for the two spans stolen from line one”.
The noted that “the rising trend of vandalism targeting transmission lines and towers has become a significant challenge, severely impacting the country’s power infrastructure and hindering the expansion and stability of the national grid. This recent incident adds to an alarming pattern of attacks on the transmission network nationwide.
“In the Gwagwalada area alone, recent acts of vandalism include the attack on the Gwagwalada–Kukuwaba–Apo transmission line on 10th December 2023, the Gwagwalada–Katampe line on February 26, 2024, and several others on that axis. Such acts of vandalism continue to disrupt the stability and growth of Nigeria’s national grid.
“We once again appeal to members of the public, especially residents of communities hosting transmission lines and towers, to collaborate with TCN and security operatives in combating this menace. Vandalism of power installations is a disservice to us all and undermines efforts to strengthen the nation’s transmission system”.
