Inhabitants of Borno and Yobe states have been thrown into darkness following yet another act of vandalism by suspected members of Boko Haram targeting the national power infrastructure.

Boko Haram have carried out similar attack on power infrastructure in the past, necessitating the Buhari administration to establish an emergency power plant in Maiduguri to close the gap.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed on Sunday that suspected vandals destroyed one of its 330kV transmission towers along the Gombe–Damaturu line, disrupting electricity supply to major parts of the two states.

In a statement, Ndidi Mbah, General Manager of Public Affairs at TCN, said the vandalism occurred around 5:46 p.m. on Friday when Tower T347 was attacked.

“Our team on routine inspection along the Gombe–Damaturu transmission line discovered that the tower’s legs had been cut off, causing it to buckle to one side,” Mbah said.

She explained that the incident led to partial power disruption in Maiduguri, Damaturu, and other neighbouring communities, leaving thousands of residents without electricity.

According to her, the company has activated emergency measures to minimise the impact of the outage.

“Despite this setback, bulk supply is being maintained through the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant, which currently feeds the Yola Electricity Distribution Company,” she said.

“The company is distributing power through major 33kV feeders, including Beneshiek, Damasak, Bama, University Campus, Maiduguri Town, Monguno, and others. Additionally, Damaturu and its environs will temporarily receive supply from the Potiskum Substation.”

Mbah said TCN engineers had already mobilised to the site to commence repair works and replace the damaged tower.

“Our engineers are on site working round the clock to reconstruct the affected tower and restore normal transmission as soon as possible,” she stated.

The company condemned the act of vandalism, describing it as “a deliberate sabotage against national development.”

“We strongly condemn this repeated destruction of transmission facilities. These assets belong to all Nigerians and must be protected,” Mbah added.

“We urge members of the public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activities around power infrastructure to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.”

The incident marks another blow to power stability in the North-East, where Maiduguri and surrounding areas have faced repeated blackouts in recent years due to attacks on transmission lines by vandals and insurgents. (Zagazola)