By Gloria Akudoro
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the vandalisation of six transmission towers, from T125 to T130, on the Apir–Lafia 330kV Lines I and II.
The General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, Ndidi Mbah, in a statement on Tuesday, explained that the collapse occurred at about 1:15 a.m. on May 30, 2026, during a heavy downpour. A trial reclosure of Line II was carried out at 2:08 a.m. following the initial tripping, but it failed.
Mbah stated that the tripping of the lines prompted a physical line trace to determine the fault, which revealed damage to critical components of Towers T125 to T130, confirming acts of vandalism on the affected sections of the transmission corridor.
“As a result, both Apir–Lafia 330kV Transmission Lines I and II remain out of service pending reconstruction of the affected towers. TCN engineers have been mobilised to the site to assess the extent of the damage and ascertain the materials required to restore normal transmission along the corridor.
“Meanwhile, the Lafia 330kV Transmission Station is being supplied through the Lafia–Jos transmission line as a temporary measure to minimise the impact of the outage on affected electricity customers within the franchise areas of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC),” the statement read.
TCN strongly condemned the continued vandalisation of power transmission infrastructure, noting that it undermines years of investment in the sector.
The transmission company appealed to host communities and the general public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around transmission installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.
Mbah advised that collective action is essential to protect national grid assets and ensure a reliable power supply.
