The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed that 178 transmission towers have been destroyed by vandals in the first half of 2025, worsening power outages across several states.

The disclosure was made during a media briefing in Keffi by Ali Sharifai, General Manager, Transmission Services, who described the situation as one of the most difficult periods in TCN’s history.

According to him, the agency recorded 42 separate cases of vandalism within the first two quarters of the year, affecting towers critical to electricity distribution.

“States like Bayelsa, Rivers, Abia, and Kano have been especially hit,” Sharifai said, noting that 2024 had already set a grim precedent with 86 towers targeted—26 of them completely brought down. “This year’s figures are even more troubling.”

Compounding the problem, he added, are natural disasters. A severe windstorm in May took down six towers along the Kainji-Birnin Kebbi line. Another incident in the same month led to the partial collapse of a tower on the Apir-Lafia-Jos axis.

Sharifai explained that aside from the strain on power supply, these acts come with enormous repair costs and hinder efforts to expand the national grid. “The attacks are driven by a mix of motives—economic hardship, political sabotage, and sometimes pure criminality,” he said.

He further revealed the TCN is working with the office of the National security adviser to protect vulnerable lines. “TCN reached out to ONSA for the protection of vulnerable transmission lines against vandalism. Some critical lines have been selected as pilot schemes for which state-of-the-art technology will be deployed to monitor and deter future vandalism.

“Sensitisation and sponsored programmes, jingles on both social and print media, including radio and television stations against vandalism of TCN assets, are reaching far and wide as Nigerians are now fully informed that TCN property is their property,” Sharifai added.