The Transmission Company of Nigeria has decried the rising cases of vandalism targeting its transmission infrastructure, revealing that a total of 264 high-voltage towers were destroyed across the country between January 2024 and June 2025.
General Manager of the Transmission Service Provider at TCN, Ali Sharifai made this known during a media workshop held in Nasarawa State on Thursday.
He described the last two years as the “most challenging period” in the agency’s history due to the scale and frequency of attacks by non-state actors.
“Years 2024 and 2025 have been the most trying times for TCN as a responsive public utility due to vandalism of its transmission line infrastructure,” Sharifai said. “A total of 86 towers were vandalised in 2024 alone, with 26 completely brought down, resulting in total blackout in affected states.”
He added that in just the first six months of 2025, another 178 towers were compromised in 42 separate incidents, with the highest number of attacks recorded in the Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Kano regions.
The company attributed the trend to political motives, sabotage, and a thriving scrap market where parts from the destroyed towers are resold.
“In the North-East and South-South, sabotage tied to insurgency and youth restiveness is largely responsible,” Sharifai noted. “In places like Port Harcourt, both economic reasons and sabotage are at play. Meanwhile, in Kano and Makurdi, the lure of quick profits from scrap sales appears to be the major factor.”
He cited targeted attacks on key lines such as the Shiroro-Katampe, Ajaokuta-Gwagwalada 330kV, and the 132kV underground line in Abuja’s Central Area as politically motivated, having caused severe outages in the Federal Capital Territory.
Sharifai gave a regional breakdown of the attacks in 2025: the Abuja region recorded 4 incidents affecting 11 towers; Enugu, 2 incidents affecting 16 towers; Kano, 8 incidents affecting 29 towers; Lagos, 5 incidents with 9 towers; Osogbo, 2 incidents involving 3 towers; Port Harcourt, 17 incidents affecting 72 towers; Shiroro, 2 incidents with 3 towers; and Kaduna, 2 incidents impacting 35 towers.
Natural disasters also compounded the company’s challenges. In May 2025, six towers on the Kainji–Birnin Kebbi 330kV line collapsed due to windstorms and heavy rain, while another tower partially fell along the Apir–Lafia–Jos route.
The TCN estimated that it may have spent over ₦18 billion on tower repairs and replacements, based on a unit cost of ₦68.7 million per tower.
“This has disrupted the flow of electricity from generation to distribution, slowed our grid expansion plans, and diverted funds meant for contractor payments into emergency repairs,” Sharifai lamented.
In response, the company said it is increasing collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and state governments to secure its infrastructure. A pilot project involving high-tech surveillance systems on critical lines is underway, along with public sensitisation campaigns.
“We’ve launched media outreach and are working with host communities and state authorities to promote a sense of ownership over these assets. In Borno and Yobe states, this strategy has resulted in zero vandalism,” he said.
Sharifai also confirmed that some perpetrators had been apprehended and are currently facing prosecution. He appealed for community vigilance, urging citizens to take responsibility in protecting public infrastructure.
“If you see something, say something. These assets belong to all Nigerians. Protecting them is a shared responsibility,” he stressed.
