The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has reported that some areas in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been plunged into darkness due to an attack on the 330kV Lokoja–Gwagwalada transmission line.
According to TCN’s statement on Sunday, the incident occurred in the early hours of November 9, 2024, with suspected vandals damaging three transmission towers, thereby disrupting bulk power supply.
The TCN detailed that engineers had attempted to re-energize the affected line on Saturday, but it repeatedly tripped. Upon further inspection, a patrol team discovered that transmission towers T306, T307, and T308 had been vandalized, with two spans of aluminum conductors stolen.
“While we continue to supply power through the second circuit, we are currently working to procure replacement conductors to restore full functionality,” TCN noted.
The company expressed concern over the growing trend of vandalism targeting essential power infrastructure, warning that this poses a significant threat to the stability of Nigeria’s national grid.
The Gwagwalada area has seen a series of such attacks, including incidents on the Gwagwalada–Kukuwaba–Apo line in December 2023 and the Gwagwalada–Katampe line in February 2024.
TCN has once again called on local communities to cooperate with security agencies to protect these critical installations, highlighting that vandalism undermines efforts to enhance the nation’s power transmission capabilities.
Though the company did not specify which parts of Abuja were directly affected, it noted that this latest incident compounds the ongoing power challenges, following multiple grids collapses this year that have left millions of Nigerians without electricity.
TCN concluded by appealing to the public to assist in safeguarding the power infrastructure to prevent further disruptions and stabilize the national grid.
