By Vicky Attah, Correspondent
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said a joint operation with the Nigeria Police Force has resulted in to the arrest of a suspected vandal linked to the destruction of six transmission towers along the Yola–Jalingo 330kV transmission line, with part of the stolen materials already recovered.
TCN said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the affected towers, identified as T995, T998, T999, T1002, T1003 and T1004, were discovered to have been vandalised during a routine patrol by its engineers on July 29, 2026.
According to the company, the inspection revealed that the vandals had removed about 130 critical bracing members from the towers, leaving the structures at risk of collapse and posing a serious threat to the integrity of the transmission line.
Following the discovery, TCN and the Nigeria Police Force carried out a joint operation in the host community on July 30, where they met with the village head and youth leaders and sought their cooperation in identifying those responsible for the attack on the power infrastructure.
The company said the police later informed it on August 1 that a principal suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident. It added that part of the stolen tower components had also been recovered.
TCN officials subsequently visited the location where the recovered materials were kept to verify that they were parts removed from the damaged towers. The company also urged the authorities to ensure the suspect is fully prosecuted in accordance with the law.
It said investigators had obtained useful leads from the suspect and were working to track down other members of the suspected vandalism syndicate, adding that investigations are ongoing.
The company condemned the continued vandalism of electricity transmission infrastructure, describing the attacks as acts that undermine years of investment in the nation’s power sector and threaten the stability of electricity supply.
It said protecting the national grid requires the collective support of host communities, security agencies and other stakeholders to safeguard power infrastructure and ensure a reliable electricity supply.
TCN urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities around transmission installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.
