Vandals destroy TCN’s 330KV Apir-Lafia transmission lines

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported that six of its transmission towers, numbered T125 to T130, on the Apir–Lafia 330kV Transmission Lines I and II, have been vandalised by criminals.

In response, the company has deployed engineers to the site to assess the extent of the damage and determine the materials needed to restore normal transmission.

According to a statement from Ndidi Mbah, the General Manager of Public Affairs at TCN, the incident occurred at approximately 1:15 AM on May 30, 2026, during a heavy downpour. A trial reclosure of Line II was attempted at 2:08 AM following an initial trip, but it was unsuccessful.

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The statement read, “The tripping of 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 site to assess the extent of damage and ascertain materials required to commence 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). TCN strongly condemns the continued vandalism of power transmission infrastructure as it undermines years of investment in the sector.”

The Company charged 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 adding that collective action is essential to protect national grid assets and ensure reliable power supply.