The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Port Harcourt region, has raised concerns over persistent attacks on its transmission towers. The company revealed it has secured four convictions and arrested six suspected vandals within its operational area.
This announcement came as TCN confirmed the successful repair and reconstruction of 20 vandalized towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132KV transmission lines. The destruction of these towers had left most parts of Bayelsa State in darkness for four months.
Emmanuel Anyaegbulem, General Manager of TCN, Port Harcourt region, made this known during a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. The event was organized to highlight the company’s key achievements over the past year.
Anyaegbulem explained that the Port Harcourt region covers six states—Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River—within the country’s power transmission sub-sector.
“Unfortunately this year, we have a very serious challenge precisely on the 29th of July, 2024 we had this incident that lasted for about four months,” he said.
“That is the collapse of towers on the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132KV lines. And this is the only line that feeds Bayelsa State. It was a very big challenge to us almost from July till recently on November 30th when we were able to restore the lines.”
He further highlighted the activities of vandals, saying, “Some of these hoodlums became the situation in the country for all the channels we used to brace the tower, use machines and cut those channels and sell them as scrubs. To construct a tower is nothing less than N12 to N13 million as at the time it was done.”
Anyaegbulem described the extensive damage caused by the collapse: “With the slightest breeze, you see them collapsing. When they collapse they will pull the other ones adjacent and it will be a cascaded effect. That is exactly what happened on 29th July. And TCN lost about 20 towers between Ahoada (in Rivers State) and Yenagoa (in Bayelsa State).”
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He emphasized the unprecedented scale of the incident, stating, “So it is one of the greatest challenges I actually experienced in my years of service because that is the first time we have had as many as 20 towers collapsing at a time.”
Anyaegbulem explained that the swampy terrain posed significant difficulties in mobilizing resources to restore the damaged infrastructure. He said, “We battled of course it was rough terrain, swampy areas, and all that. It took a lot of time and resources for TCN to mobilize contractors to start that. We have 330 and 132 lines. And these are the voltage levels at which the transmission operates.”
The TCN GM expressed relief that the issue had been resolved with the “Erecting and restringing of 20 vandalized towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132KV lines.”
Regarding the arrests, he stated, “We ensure that anyone that is caught is handed over to the police or whoever and follow it up. So we have been able to prosecute four and six are in police custody now you know, going to court and all that.”
He urged local communities to safeguard power infrastructure and report any vandals to law enforcement agencies.
Highlighting other achievements, Anyaegbulem said the company had commissioned a 100MVA power transformer at the Port Harcourt main transmission substation and rehabilitated the 132/33KV switchyard.
He further noted, “The region took delivery of a 150 MVA 330/33KV power transformer at its Adiabo transmission substation under the Calabar sub-region. Delivery of 100/110MVA power transformer and accessories at Port Harcourt main transmission substation.”
He added that the Itu 132/33KV transmission substation was upgraded with “an additional 60MVA transformer and three outgoing feeders, digital control panels, circuit breakers, isolators and battery banks.”
Explaining TCN’s role, Anyaegbulem said, “Our job is to make sure that we are able to wield this power efficiently and effectively from the generating companies to load centers. And we do that using all these towers.”
He clarified that transmission companies focus on transporting power, while power distribution firms handle direct supply to consumers.
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