Darkness engulfs Bayelsa State as a result of the destruction of two transmission towers by vandals. The Transmission Company of Nigeria revealed that the incident occurred on July 29, in the Igbooghene community of Bayelsa State, causing towers T98 and T99 along the Ahoada/Yenagoa 132kV line to collapse. This disruption has led to a power outage affecting the state, including the Yenagoa Sub-station and the Gbarain Power Station operated by TCN.
The TCN spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, announced that efforts are underway to address the situation. “Yenagoa Metropolis and the entire Bayelsa State are currently without power supply,” Mbah stated.
“Our team, led by Engr. Emmanuel Akpa, the General Manager of Transmission in the Port Harcourt Region, accompanied by DSS personnel, inspected the vandalized towers. Plans are in motion to engage a contractor urgently for the reconstruction of the towers,” Mbah added.
Additionally, Mbah highlighted previous incidents of vandalism including an individual caught damaging the T238 tower on June 16 along the Owerri/Ahoada 132kV line, and another act of vandalism at the Ahoada Transmission Substation on June 10.
TCN is appealing to the public to support efforts to combat the vandalism of power infrastructure nationwide. Collaboration with security agencies and local communities such as the DSS and Civil Defence Corps is ongoing to address this recurring challenge.
Efforts are being made to implement further initiatives with stakeholders and security agencies in Yenagoa to prevent such incidents in the future. The statement concluded by emphasizing the importance of safeguarding power infrastructure to ensure sustainable growth in the nation’s power sector without continual financial setbacks caused by vandalism.