The Federal Government of Nigeria [FGN] has confirmed that it spent a total of N8.8bn for the repair and restoration of transmission towers that were vandalised across various regions of the country in 2024.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transition Company of Nigeria, Ahmed Abdulaziz, disclosed this at the Quarterly Power Sector Working Group meeting in Abuja.
Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the government had yet to achieve prosecution of arrested vandals as they were usually released on bail by the Nigerian Police.
Abdulaziz, who was represented by the Executive Director, TCN Transmission Service Provider, Engr. Olugbenga Ajiboye disclosed that 128 transmission towers had been destroyed either by vandals or bandits across the country between January and November 2024.
He further lamented that apprehended perpetrators were being granted bail, enabling them to return to their illegal activities and wreaking havoc on the vital transmission infrastructure in the country.
“As I talk to you today, 128 of our towers have been destroyed by either vandals or bandits. To date, we have spent about N8.8bn, by our estimation, to put them back to full and functional use.”
He explained that when the vandals were apprehended and handed over to police for prosecution, they were bailed based on theft and not vandalism.
“It is so sad that each time the vandals were caught and taken to the police for prosecution, police would arrest them for theft instead of vandalism, and they would be bailed. If they are charged with vandalism, they cannot be bailed, but this is where we are. So many of them have been arrested, but each time they will be bailed because police often incident their cases as that of theft.
“When the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna towers were destroyed, we had to get the full military escorts for our contractors to get the transmission lines and towers restored, and in some cases, they would tell us that we could only work for two hours in some days.
“In some instances, they would even tell us that it was not safe to move there. How do we get out of this? How can we deliver electricity to Nigerians under these terrible circumstances? These are part of the challenges we are facing in the power sector”, Abdulaziz said.
This comes amid the surge in cases of vandalism, which had negatively impacted the country’s national grid and electricity supply.
It was earlier reported that some parts of the Niger Delta region had remained in darkness as vandals disrupted the ongoing repair of the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132 kilovolt line and stole tower components from Benin-Egbin and Benin-Omotosho 330kv transmission lines.
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