Vandals Destroy Gombe–Damaturu 330kV Transmission Line, Disrupts Power Supply To Borno, Yobe

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed that one of its high-voltage towers, T347, along the Gombe–Damaturu 330kV transmission line, was vandalised. This caused a partial power disruption in parts of Borno and Yobe states.

According to a statement by TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the incident occurred on Friday when vandals allegedly cut off the tower’s legs, causing it to collapse partially.

The sabotage affected the flow of bulk power supply to Maiduguri, Damaturu, and surrounding communities.

According to the TCN, immediate steps have been taken to minimise the impact of the outage. “Bulk supply is being maintained through the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP), which currently feeds the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) for onward distribution to consumers through major 33kV feeders, including Beneshiek, Damasak, Bama, University, Campus, Maiduguri Town, Monguno, and others.”

The transmission firm explained that Damaturu and its environs would temporarily receive electricity from the Potiskum Substation until the damaged infrastructure is fully restored.

Mbah disclosed that TCN engineers have already been mobilised to replace the vandalised tower and restore standard power transmission.

The company condemned the act, describing it as a deliberate attack on critical national assets. It appealed to residents and communities along transmission routes to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.

“We strongly condemn this act of vandalism and urge members of the public to see power installations as collective assets that must be protected,” the statement added.

The TCN has been facing recurrent vandalism of its transmission infrastructure across various parts of the country, leading to periodic disruptions in electricity supply.