​Vandals Destroy Six TCN Towers, Trigger Regional Power Crisis

​ABUJA, NIGERIA — Parts of Abuja and the North-Central region are facing severe electricity disruptions after vandals targeted and destroyed six high-voltage transmission towers along the critical Apir–Lafia 330kV transmission corridor.

​The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed on Wednesday that towers T125 through T130 on both Transmission Lines I and II completely collapsed following a deliberate act of sabotage. The incident has forced both major supply lines out of service, adding fresh anxiety to the stability of Nigeria’s national grid.

​Mid-Night Sabotage uncovered

​According to a statement issued by TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the system failure first registered at approximately 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, during a heavy downpour. System operators initially suspected a weather-induced fault and attempted a “trial reclosure” of Line II at 2:08 a.m. to restore electricity, but the mechanism failed.

​The failure prompted TCN to deploy a physical line patrol team to trace the fault. The inspection revealed a scene of severe destruction: vandals had systematically stripped and compromised the vital structural components of six consecutive towers, causing them to buckle and collapse.

​”TCN engineers have been mobilized to the site to assess the extent of the damage and ascertain the materials required to commence reconstruction and restore normal transmission along the corridor,” Mbah stated.

​Intermediary Power Measures Activated

​To prevent total blackout in the affected territories, TCN has initiated a temporary supply workaround. The Lafia 330kV Transmission Station is currently being back-fed with electricity rerouted via the Lafia–Jos transmission line.

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​”This temporary measure is aimed at minimizing the impact of the outage on electricity customers within the franchise areas of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC),” Mbah added.

​Despite these mitigations, energy experts warn that customers in these areas may experience voltage instability and load-shedding until the multi-million naira towers are fully reconstructed.

​A Multi-Billion Naira Economic Drain

​This latest attack highlights the persistent vulnerability of Nigeria’s power infrastructure. The electricity transmission sector has increasingly become a prime target for coordinated asset stripping and sabotage. Data from recent government disclosures shows that billions of naira are being diverted annually from grid expansion projects just to finance the repair of vandalized infrastructure.

​Condemning the attack in strong terms, TCN management emphasized that the repeated destruction of national assets severely erodes public and private investments meant to reform the power sector.

​The company has renewed its appeal to host communities, traditional rulers, and local vigilantes to step up surveillance around the grid corridor. TCN urged members of the public to remain highly vigilant and report any suspicious activities near transmission towers directly to law enforcement agencies or the nearest TCN substation.