On Wednesday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said that its Tower T195 along the Ugwuaji–Makurdi 330kV transmission line was vandalised.

The TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, made this known on Wednesday night.

Ms Mbah said the vandalisation of the line occurred on Saturday, 25 January, at Watuolo village, Utonkon, in the Ado local government area of Benue state.

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hereby states that its Tower T195 along the Ugwuaji–Makurdi 330kV transmission Line was vandalised on Saturday, 25 January 2025, at Watuolo village, Utonkon in Ado local government area of Benue state,” Ms Mbah said.

She explained that the vandalism was thwarted by the vigilance of the community members, who, at about 3 a.m., noticed suspicious activity around the tower and promptly apprehended one of the vandals while the others escaped.

She noted that the vandal was handed over to the police.

“TCN commends the people of Watuolo Village for their swift action and vigilance. We equally appeal to communities hosting critical infrastructure to emulate this example and take ownership of protecting transmission installations in their vicinity.

“As we continue to work with security operatives and host communities against vandalism, we continue to appeal for more vigilance by residents in the communities, who we believe are very critical in this fight,” she said.

Vandalism has recently become a significant threat to Nigeria’s power infrastructure operations.

On 19 January, the TCN said over 18 transmission towers were vandalised between 9 and 14 January across Rivers, Abia, and Kano states.

Reacting to the frequent vandalism of power infrastructure across Nigeria in March last year, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, recommended the death penalty for persons who steal power infrastructure.