Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN has made a Clarion call for joined force to put an end to the menace of vandalism targeting its national grid infrastructure as it impedes the effort of the government in ensuring adequate power supply across the country.
TCN’s General Manager, Technical Service, Ali Sharifai, made the call at the closing of a three day media capacity building workshop for Energy Correspondents in Keffi Nassarawa State North-central Nigeria.
Sharifai who said a total of 178 towers have been vandalised since the beginning of the year 2025 stated that 18 transmission towers were vandalised between January and March 2025 across Rivers, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Kano States disrupting power supply.
He further disclosed that in 2024, 86 towers were vandalized, with 26 completely destroyed resulting in several States in darkness.
“These incidents spanned Abuja, Bauchi, Enugu, Shiroro, Kano, and Port Harcourt regions
“The vandalism increased in 2025, with 42 new vandalism incidents recorded in the first half of the year, affecting 178 towers across key regions
“the Port Harcourt region suffered 17 attacks impacting 72 towers, while Kaduna and Kano regions was 35 and 29 towers affected, respectively. Other regions hit include Abuja, Enugu, Lagos, Osogbo, and Shiroro
“Year 2024 and 2025 have been the most trying times for TCN as a responsive public utility due to vandalisation of its transmission line infrastructure by non-state actors. A total of 86 towers were vandalised in 2024, with 26 towers completely down, which left the affected states in total darkness
“This vandalism spans across Abuja, Bauchi, Enugu, Shiroro, Kano and Port Harcourt regions while in the first and the second quarters of 2025 alone, a total of 42 acts of vandalism were recorded affecting a total of 178 towers,” Sharifai said.
He further explained that in the Abuja region, 4 acts of vandalism were recorded in 2025, with 11 towers affected. While the Enugu region recorded two acts of vandalism with 16 towers affected, the Kano region recorded 8 acts of vandalism with 29 towers affected, and the Lagos region recorded 5 acts of vandalism with 9 towers affected.
In Osogbo region, 2 acts of vandalism were recorded, with 3 towers affected. Port Harcourt region recorded 17 acts of vandalism, with 72 towers affected. He added that the Shiroro region recorded 2 acts of vandalism with 3 towers affected, while the Kaduna region recorded 2 acts of vandalism with 35 towers affected
He decried that vandalism around the Abuja axis is purely political, stressing that critical lines that supply Abuja and environs are vandalised excessively with a view to putting the Federal Capital in total darkness. “Shiroro-Katampe and Ajaokuta-Gwagwalada 330kV lines and 132kV underground line cable at the Central Area were vandalised, with their effect of putting the FCT to nearly total blackout.
“In areas like North-East and South-South part of the country, sabotage is the main reason for vandalising TCN towers
“The scrap market is growing across some parts of the country. There are ready-made scrap markets where carted away materials are sold and recycled. Vandalism recorded in places like Kano and Makurdi axis are mostly economic,” he said.
Sharifai also noted that besides the activities of vandals, natural disaster hinders the free flow of electricity of electricity to the grid, adding that the TCN recently recorded along Kainji-Birnin Kebbi 330Kv SC (international) line, where six towers T306, T307, T308, T365, T366 and T367 collapsed in May 2025 due to windstorm and torrential rainfall.
Describing these attacks, Sharifai says
they have caused widespread outages, delayed critical projects and forced TCN to divert resources from grid expansion to emergency repairs.
“TCN incurs significant costs due to repair, replacement and the need for increased security measures to address vandalism”
According to him the company has intensified security patrols, engaged vigilante groups and is working closely with law enforcement but the financial and operational toll remains high.
TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah called on communities and stakeholders to help protect these vital assets, emphasizing that safeguarding the grid is essential for national development and economic stability.
“The financial implications of constant repairs to vandalized transmission installations are overwhelming… We need the collective support of all Nigerians to safeguard our infrastructure and help us build a better future,” said Mbah.
The Chairman, Power Correspondent Association of Nigeria PCAN Obas Esiedesa, extended gratitude to the TCN for organizing and hosting the insightful three-day workshop dedicated to enhancing the capacity of Journalists covering the power sector.
“This training has been invaluable in equipping us with a deeper understanding of the complexities, challenges, and innovations within the Nigerian power industry”
As journalists, he said “our role in accurately and effectively communicating developments in the power sector is critical to fostering transparency, accountability, and public awareness”
“The knowledge and skills gained from this workshop will undoubtedly improve the quality of our reporting, enabling us to better inform the public and contribute positively to the discourse on power sector reforms and progress”
The Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN tasked with transmitting generated electricity from generation companies to Distribution companies operate a vast transmission network, comprising 111 330kV lines stretching 8,792km and 163 132kV lines covering 7,933km. These lines connect to 57 330/132/33kV and 186 132/33kV substations nationwide, supported by 18,456 330kV and 22,704 132kV towers. The grid’s static wheeling capacity stands at 8,700MW.
The transmission Company of Nigeria appealed to communities hosting critical infrastructure to take ownership of protecting transmission installations in their vicinity.
TCN says as it continue to work with security operatives and host communities against vandalism, the company continue to appeal for more vigilance by residents in the communities.