A major power outage has hit parts of the Presidential Villa and seven prominent areas in Abuja, Nigeria, following the theft of critical power cables.
The affected districts include Maitama, Wuse, Jabi, Lifecamp, Asokoro, Utako, and Mabushi. The incident has disrupted electricity to over 60% of the city, plunging these areas into darkness.
The vandalism targeted a 132kV transmission line that supplies bulk electricity to the Central Area transmission substation located in Katampe. The criminals stole 40 meters of a 1x500mm XLPE conductor, a crucial component for power distribution.
Ndidi Mbah, the General Manager of Public Affairs at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday.
She emphasized the extent of the damage, revealing that eight distribution feeders connected to the Central Area were directly impacted.
“The vandalism of this critical infrastructure is suspected to have occurred near the Menillum Park axis of Abuja,” Mbah disclosed.
In response to the crisis, TCN has deployed a team of engineers to work swiftly on restoring power to the affected districts. While repair efforts are underway, Mbah appealed to residents to exercise patience and understanding.
