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Communities targeting syndicates destroying critical infrastructure, including electrical power towers, others
From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
In Ezza Umuhuali, Ezillo and Nkalagu communities of Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, vandalisation of critical power infrastructure is on the increase. The menace is threatening power supply in the affected communities.
President -General of Ezza Umuhali community, Chief Solomon Nweke, disclosed that some suspects have been arrested in connection to the menace and called for concerted effort to apprehend those that are at large to rid the community of the crime.
He stressed that the destruction of transmission facilities amounted to economic sabotage and posed serious dangers to lives and property. He urged authorities to ensure diligent prosecution of arrested suspects and to intensify efforts to apprehend others still at large.
Nweke stated this during sensitization of the communities – Ezillo, Nkalagu and Ezza Umuhuali by the Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN) against critical power infrastructure vandalism. The event held at the Ezza Umuhuali town hall, was attended by youth leaders and stakeholders of the communities.
While addressing the TCN team, Nweke attributed the success in apprehending suspected vandals to the vigilance of local security operatives under the leadership of the traditional ruler.
“It is the effort of the vigilantes of this community manned by the traditional ruler that led to this programme that we are having today.
“In this regard, your lines were vandalized, that is very obvious. Our vigilante laid ambush and they got some of the miscreants.
“We wouldn’t like national economic sabotage, a drained economy because if this light falls down tomorrow, there is going to be a lot of deaths and for weeks or months, there will be an economic leakage. Having seen TCN here today, I believe we will continue to be safe.
“There should be assistance for our vigilantes for more surveillance to get the miscreants that are still at large because we want to have a free-crime community and that is just our prayers,” he stated.
He called on TCN to sustain collaboration with community leaders and provide additional support for local surveillance efforts.
Addressing traditional rulers, community leaders, youths and officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), general manager (transmission), Enugu region, Dr. Thomas Inugonum, warned residents of Ezza Umuhuali, Ezillo and Nkalagu communities against vandalizing critical power infrastructure. He described the practice as a threat to national development, public safety and electricity supply.
Inugonum said the visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration between TCN and host communities in protecting transmission facilities traversing the area.
He identified major threats to transmission infrastructure to include vandalism of 330kV and 132kV power installations, erection of illegal structures on transmission rights-of-way, excavation around tower foundations, trading and residential activities under transmission lines, and bush burning near tower bases.
According to him, vandalism of transmission facilities has become a growing concern across the country, leading to power disruptions, economic losses and threats to human lives.
Inugonum recalled that in July 2025, an alleged vandal was electrocuted while attempting to dismantle Tower 34 along the Nkalagu-Abakaliki 132kV transmission line in Ezillo, Ishielu local government area of the state. He said the suspect died instantly while his accomplices fled the scene.
He also cited another incident on May 9, 2026, when community vigilantes and youths in Ezza Umuhuali arrested two suspected vandals accused of removing tower members from Towers T15, T16 and T17 along the Nkalagu-Abakaliki 132kV single-circuit transmission line.
“The tower members worth millions of naira were removed and sold to illegal scrap dealers at worthless prices. This is not good for our country,” he said.
The TCN official warned that continued vandalism could result in the collapse of transmission towers, widespread blackout and diversion of government resources from new power projects to reconstruction efforts.
He said: “If we do not rise up to protect these installations, a time will come when hoodlums will vandalize and collapse many towers, leading to total blackout and economic sabotage,
“I am so delighted to be in this community today. We have gone to many communities to do the same sensitization. The sensitization is to create awareness of the TCN existing infrastructures.
“The company brings power from the generation and delivers it to distributions to give to houses, the residential homes and industries. So, we are like transporters that transport power from generator to distribution.
“The tower lines we deploy in doing this distribution is why we are here. As I am talking now, six weeks ago, we had six of these towers destroyed along the Lafia-Api line. Two days ago, a message came that an additional nine had equally been destroyed.
“Each of these towers is not something we produce here. We normally import them from overseas and each of them is about $330,000, for 1km, you have two and half of them. So, its is enormous, it’s a huge amount of money.
“So, for people to go and start cutting it, to use it to do gates for houses or maybe brace up somewhere, is totally unacceptable. We don’t see the need for that, its is a waste of resources.
“And if it happens, the government will not even know how to continue with new projects because they have to reinforce, repair the ones that has been destroyed because that one can kill so many people if not attended to.
“And so, we are here to tell the communities to assist us monitor the movements along these routes where these towers are being installed. There was a time we had an issue here and it was in Ehamufu when one of our lines was destroyed. When it happened, the whole of the North was without light for 21-days. This is to tell you the importance of these lines that we are talking about and it is not what you can develop in one year, it takes you about three to four years to complete.
“We do not manufacture these towers locally. They are imported, and replacing them consumes huge resources that could have been used for new projects.”
The general manager also warned against constructing houses, markets and other structures within transmission rights-of-way. He explained that the statutory right-of-way for a 132kV line extends 15 metres on either side of the transmission line, while that of a 330kV line extends 25 metres on either side.
According to him, living or conducting business under transmission lines exposes residents to serious safety and health risks, including the possibility of electrocution in the event of line failures.
He cited a 2024 transmission line incident in Ehamufu, Enugu State, which contributed to prolonged power disruptions in parts of northern Nigeria, underscoring the strategic importance of the transmission corridor passing through the affected communities.
Dr. Inugonum urged residents to report suspicious activities around TCN installations to the company, the NSCDC or the police. He further appealed to traditional rulers, local government authorities and community leaders to educate youths on the dangers of vandalism and support efforts to safeguard critical national assets.
Responding, the traditional ruler of Ezza Umuhuali autonomous community, Eze Patrick Nwafor Udoku, commended TCN for bringing the sensitization campaign to the community.
The monarch, who identified himself as an electrical engineer with experience working around high-voltage facilities, said the programme would help save lives and prevent future incidents.
“Your presence and visit are for the safety of the entire community. I appreciate more the lives you are trying to save more than any gift you have presented to me,” he said.
Udoku pledged the community’s full cooperation in protecting transmission infrastructure and supporting efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for vandalism.
The sensitization programme forms part of TCN’s nationwide campaign to promote community ownership and protection of critical power infrastructure, following similar engagements in Benue and Enugu states.
Participants at the event pledged support for the initiative and resolved to work with security agencies and TCN to protect transmission installations serving their communities and the nation at large.
