The Transmission Company of Nigeria has confirmed that a major power transmission tower was vandalised on Saturday in Benue State.
TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said in a statement on Thursday that the incident happened at Watuolo village, Utonkon, in Ado Local Government Area.
According to her, the vandalised structure, Tower T195, is part of the Ugwuaji–Makurdi 330 Kilo Volt transmission line.
She, however, said that the quick response of community members stopped the vandals from causing more damage.
“At about 3 AM, the community members noticed suspicious activity around the tower. They quickly intervened and managed to apprehend one of the suspects, while the others escaped. The suspect was later handed over to the police,” Mbah said.
She praised the villagers for their vigilance and urged other communities to protect power infrastructure in their areas.
“TCN commends the people of Watuolo village for their swift action and vigilance. We also appeal to communities hosting critical infrastructure to take ownership of protecting transmission installations in their vicinity,” she added.
The company assured that it would continue working with security agencies and local communities to prevent further vandalism of power installations.
