Power Outage Looms in Bayelsa State as Vandals Target Transmission Towers

A devastating blow to Bayelsa State’s power supply is looming as the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed the vandalisation of 13 transmission towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line. The blackout is expected to affect not only Bayelsa State but also some communities in Rivers State.

According to a statement by TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the vandalism was discovered after a team led by the General Manager of the Port Harcourt Transmission region, Emmanuel Akpa, visited the site and found that all 13 towers from T52 to T64 were affected. Mbah revealed that nine towers have collapsed completely, while four could collapse at any moment.

The Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit Transmission line is a crucial part of the power supply infrastructure, evacuating power from the Ahoada Transmission Substation to the Yenagoa Substation, which supplies electricity to the entire Bayelsa State. The extent of the destruction and ongoing work on previously vandalised transmission towers means it may take several months for TCN to complete the rebuilding and stringing of the towers to restore power supply to the state.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, described the incident as a “national disaster” and urged the governments of Rivers and Bayelsa states to assist TCN in curbing the vandalism of its installations, which has been “increasingly alarming and overwhelming.” Abdulaziz noted that TCN had recently responded to the vandalism and subsequent collapse of towers T97 to T99 on the same line route and had awarded a new contract for the reinforcement of towers 19-31 on the Ahoada-Yenagoa line.

The 13 vandalised towers are located in several communities, including Okobe in Ahoada East, Emezhi 1 in Ahoada West, and Mbiama in Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, as well as the Igbogene community in Bayelsa State.