Police arrest key suspect over vandalism of six TCN transmission towers

Police have arrested a key suspect after vandals damaged six transmission towers along the Yola-Jalingo 330kV transmission line, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said.

TCN said its engineers discovered during a routine patrol on July 29 that towers T995, T998, T999, T1002, T1003 and T1004 had been vandalised. The attackers reportedly removed important bracing parts and stole about 130 tower components, putting the structures at risk.

Following the discovery, TCN and the Nigeria Police carried out a joint operation in the affected community on July 30, working with local leaders and youths to identify those responsible.

The company said the police informed it on August 1 that a major suspect had been arrested and some of the stolen materials recovered.

“TCN officials visited the site to verify the recovered materials and reiterated the call for the full prosecution of the suspect to ensure justice is served,” the company said.

TCN also disclosed that investigators had obtained useful information from the suspect and were searching for other members of the alleged vandalism gang.

“The Police have obtained solid leads from the suspect in custody and remain committed to tracking down the remaining members of the syndicate. Investigations are ongoing,” the company added.

The company condemned the repeated attacks on electricity infrastructure, describing them as a threat to the national grid and years of investment in the power sector.

It urged communities to report suspicious activities around transmission facilities to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.