Vandals have brought down an electricity transmission tower in Ete Community, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, disrupting power supply to several towns.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 15, the spokesperson for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Ndidi Mbah, confirmed that Tower T35 on the Eket–Ikot Abasi 132 kV transmission line collapsed on October 12 following an act of vandalism.
According to Mbah, a TCN inspection team discovered dismantled components of the tower scattered across the site. “Following the incident, a team from the TCN Lines Department inspected the area and found several dismantled parts of the tower on the ground,” she stated.
She added that some metal components from the fallen tower had been stolen, while other nearby towers — T7, T33, and T34 — also showed signs of tampering. “Further investigation revealed that additional members of the fallen tower were carted away. The team also observed that Towers T7, T33, and T34 had been tampered with,” Mbah explained.
As a result, bulk power supply through the Eket and Ekim 132/33 kV transmission substations and the Ibom Power Station has been temporarily disrupted, affecting electricity distribution by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) to customers in Eket and Ekim.
“Consequently, PHEDC will be unable to draw power from these substations for onward distribution to its customers in the affected towns,” Mbah said.
She further noted that TCN has begun mobilising materials and manpower to reconstruct the collapsed tower and restore power transmission as soon as possible. Mbah warned that vandalism continues to endanger the stability of Nigeria’s power network and urged communities to remain vigilant.
“Vandalism poses a grave threat to the nation’s transmission system. We appeal to host communities to stay alert and promptly report suspicious activities around power installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN office. Protecting these critical national assets is a collective responsibility,” she emphasised.
TCN also revealed that the Federal Government has spent about ₦88 billion between 2021 and 2025 repairing and restoring vandalised power transmission infrastructure nationwide, including ₦8.8 billion in 2024 alone.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has urged the National Assembly to enact stricter laws prescribing harsher penalties for individuals found guilty of vandalising electricity infrastructure.
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