The Transmission Company of Nigeria has attributed the recent collapse of a high-voltage transmission tower in Kaduna State to a combination of vandalism and severe weather conditions.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, September 18, at Rigasa community, led to outages in several parts of Kaduna South.
In a statement on Saturday, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, explained that the collapsed tower — identified as No. 7 on the Kaduna Town Line I and II — was already weakened before a heavy downpour and windstorm toppled it.
“While inspecting the site of the incident, our engineers discovered that vandals had carted away some members of the tower, which made it more vulnerable to collapse,” Mbah said.
She added that the damage disrupted bulk power supply to some load centres operated by Kaduna Electric, leaving parts of Kaduna South in darkness. However, she clarified that areas such as Kinkinau, Yan Tukwane, Kabala West, Unguwan Muazu, and Kaduna North were not affected.
“To minimise the impact, we have advised Kaduna Electric to link its 33kV Mogadishu feeder with the 33kV Abakwa feeder so that customers in Mogadishu can continue to receive supply,” she said.
Mbah noted that TCN engineers had already been mobilised to dismantle the wreckage and commence the rebuilding of a new tower.
“Our engineers are working round the clock to clear the site and re-erect a replacement tower. We sincerely apologise to our customers in Southern Kaduna for the inconvenience and appreciate their patience as we restore supply,” she assured.
The company reiterated its concerns over repeated attacks on power infrastructure, recalling that between January 2024 and June 2025, 264 transmission towers were vandalised nationwide.
“Sabotage, political motives, and economic interests continue to threaten our infrastructure. We urge communities to be vigilant and report suspicious activities around power facilities,” Mbah appealed.
