PICTORIAL: Power Outage In Jigawa, Yobe Communities As Truck Rams Into Tower T16 In Kano

A trailer truck carrying a container has rammed into the base of a Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)’s Tower T16 located in Gunduwawa Village of Gezawa local government area of Kano State, destroying the tower and causing power outage in several communities of neighbouring Jigawa and Yobe States.

According to a statement by TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, on Monday night, the incident happened on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at about 9.28am, leading to the Kano–Hadejia 132kV Transmission Line to trip, losing about 16.6MW.

“Trial re-closure of the line to enable continued bulk power supply failed, prompting the immediate dispatch of a patrol team to survey the line. The team found that a trailer truck carrying a container had hit tower T16 situated in Gunduwawa and destroyed two legs of the tower, causing it to buckle and fall.

“The incident caused the tripping of the line, cutting off supply as the tower fell on the container and hit a nearby residential building damaging a part of it. Although no life was lost, the incident has been reported to Gezawa Divisional Police Station and the driver has also been detained.

“Unfortunately, this has put Hadejia, Gumel, Gagarawa, Nguru, Mallammadori, Birniwa, Kafin-Hausa, Auyo, Guri, Kaugama, Taura, Garki, Maigatari, Babura, Kirikasamma, Machina Local Government Areas in Jigawa and Yobe States in darkness, and presently, there is no alternative source of bulk power supply to two of TCN’s substations, the Gagarawa and Hadejia substations.

“This means that the affected areas will not have supply until the tower is repaired,” the statement said.

TCN pledged to do everything possible to quickly dismantle the damaged tower, re-erect a new one and restring the lines to enable the resumption of bulk power supply to the two substations to enable the DisCos offtake power for its customers within the affected areas.

It added that a contractor has already been contracted to reconstruct the tower, and he is expected to mobilise to the site of the incident on Monday.