Police in North eastern Nigeria have arrested a suspect and recovered stolen component parts after six high-voltage power towers were severely vandalised, the state electricity network operator has confirmed.
Engineers from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) discovered the damage during a routine patrol along the 330kV line connecting Yola to Jalingo. Stripped from the steel structures were roughly 130 structural bracing members, a structural compromise that engineers warn threatens the stability of the local regional grid.
Security forces launched a joint operation in the host community standardly targeted by infrastructure thieves. Following discussions with local community leaders, police apprehended a key suspect and retrieved a portion of the stolen metal fittings. Police officials say additional leads obtained during interrogation are currently being pursued to dismantle the wider syndicate responsible for the theft.
Vandalism of energy infrastructure remains a persistent challenge across Nigeria’s electricity sector. Metal thieves frequently target high-voltage transmission lines to sell structural steel as scrap, causing widespread blackouts and costing millions in structural repairs.
TCN condemned the deliberate sabotage, warning that repeated attacks undermine critical investments in the national power grid, and urged residents in host communities to report suspicious activity around power installations to law enforcement.
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