The Nigerian government has revealed that ₦8.8bn was spent in 2024 to repair and restore 128 transmission towers destroyed by vandals and bandits across the country. The alarming figures were disclosed at the Quarterly Power Sector Working Group meeting in Abuja by Ahmed Abdulaziz, Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
Speaking on behalf of Abdulaziz, TCN’s Executive Director for Transmission Service Provider, Engineer Olugbenga Ajiboye, lamented the persistent sabotage of critical infrastructure and the systemic failures enabling the culprits to escape justice.
Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, issued a statement highlighting a troubling trend: suspects arrested for vandalism are frequently charged with theft by the police, a lesser crime that allows for bail.
“It is so sad that each time vandals are caught and taken to the police for prosecution, they are charged with theft instead of vandalism, which allows them to secure bail,” Ajiboye said. He stressed that under the law, charges for vandalism are non-bailable, but weak enforcement mechanisms have emboldened offenders to return to their illegal activities.
Abdulaziz detailed the extensive damage caused by the attacks, noting that ₦8.8bn had already been spent this year on repairing towers to restore power to affected regions. He recounted specific incidents where critical projects faced delays due to insecurity.
“When the Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna towers were destroyed, we had to engage full military escorts for our contractors. In some cases, they were allowed to work for only two hours a day, and at times, they were advised it was unsafe to proceed at all,” he said.
These security concerns, coupled with legal loopholes, are placing enormous pressure on the power sector’s ability to deliver reliable electricity to Nigerians.
The attacks underscore deeper challenges within Nigeria’s power infrastructure, including insufficient legal deterrence and the financial toll of repeated repairs.
“How do we deliver electricity to Nigerians under these terrible circumstances?” Abdulaziz asked.
As the government grapples with these issues, experts warn that without stricter enforcement of anti-vandalism laws and enhanced security for power infrastructure, the cycle of destruction and costly repairs is unlikely to end, leaving Nigerians in the dark—both literally and figuratively.
