“Vandals Bring Down Five TCN Towers In Akwa Ibom, Seven More At Risk” — Ibom Power Left Without Supply As TCN Begins Emergency Repairs

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, has announced the collapse of five transmission towers along the Ikot Abasi-Eket 132kV Double Circuit Transmission Line in Akwa Ibom State following extensive vandalism of critical structural components.
TCN said the damage was discovered on August 9, 2026, during a routine joint patrol of the transmission line by its linesmen.
A preliminary assessment showed that vandals had removed critical structural bracing members from Towers N9, J4, N10, N11 and N12, resulting in the collapse of all five towers.
“Preliminary assessment indicates that critical structural bracing members were removed from Towers N9, J4, N10, N11 and N12, resulting in the collapse of five towers,” TCN said.
Further inspection of the transmission corridor revealed that vandals had also removed and stolen structural members from another seven towers.
The additional affected towers were identified as J3, N8, N13, N14, N15, N18 and N19.
TCN warned that the seven towers had consequently been structurally compromised and were at risk of collapse if urgent intervention was not undertaken.
The incident has affected electricity transmission infrastructure along the corridor, prompting the company to reconfigure the network in an attempt to minimise disruption to consumers.
According to TCN, the network was reconfigured to prioritise electricity supply to the Ekim Transmission Station, leaving Ibom Power as the only station without supply as a result of the incident.
“To mitigate the impact on electricity supply, the network has been reconfigured to prioritize supply to Ekim transmission station, leaving Ibom Power as the only station without supply,” the company said.
TCN said it had commenced mobilisation for an urgent intervention aimed at reconstructing the collapsed sections of the transmission line and restoring the network to normal operation.
The company also disclosed that relevant security agencies had been notified of the vandalism to support investigations and strengthen security along the affected transmission route.
TCN condemned the destruction as an act of sabotage against critical national electricity infrastructure.
“We condemn this act of sabotage and reiterate our commitment to working hard to maintain a robust and reliable national grid,” the company said.
The transmission company urged security agencies, communities and other stakeholders to remain vigilant and assist in protecting electricity infrastructure against vandals.
It warned that vandalism of transmission towers and other electricity installations threatens the stability of the power network, creates avoidable outages and imposes additional costs on efforts to maintain and expand electricity supply.
TCN said efforts were ongoing to reconstruct the affected towers and restore normal transmission operations along the Ikot Abasi-Eket corridor.
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