TCN Seeks Public Support against Vandalism of Transmission Facilities

Ejiofor Alike

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has appealed to the public to be vigilant and report acts of vandalism and other illegal activities around power installations and equipment to law enforcement agents.

Reacting to a recent act of vandalism on the 132KV Shiroro/Tegina/Kontagora Transmission Line, the company also warned vandals to steer clear of transmission equipment across the country.
It reiterated that apart from being acts of sabotage, there is grave danger inherent in vandalism of power installations.

TCN’s General Manager in charge of Public Affairs, Mrs. Seun Olagunju, revealed that a suspected vandal was recently electrocuted and charred while carrying out the nefarious act on the Shiroro/Tegina/Kontagora 132 kV transmission line.

According to the statement, the vandals had successfully cut the Skywire at Tower 187 and proceeded to Tower 188 along the transmission line where one of them was electrocuted.
“The Police was consequently invited to the scene of the incident and the corpse was removed while investigations are on-going. The cut skywire was removed and the line restored,” the statement added.

The company appealed to the public to be vigilant and report questionable and illegal activities around power installations and equipment to law enforcement agents.
It noted that this will ensure effective power wheeling for national development which TCN is continually committed to.

Apart from TCN, some of the distribution companies had raised the alarm on the rising cases of vandalism on their networks.

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) had recently apprehended a suspected cable vandal, Ikake Kingsley, who attempted to steal electricity cable at Ikot Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom State.
Before the Ikot Ekpene incident, three cases of electricity theft and vandalism of transformer armoured cables were reported in Uyo town in three different areas.

The efforts of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to curb vandalism of cables and transformers had paid off recently with the conviction of three persons for acts of vandalism.
According to a recent statement issued by company, three accused persons were arrested by the Police in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State and subsequently arraigned, tried and convicted for crimes ranging from conspiracy, vandalising armoured cables and transformers belonging to the company.
Two of the accused persons – Ndubuisi Ogbonnia (18 years), and Chinedu Gabriel (21 years) were prosecuted at the Federal High Court, Abakaliki, where they both pleaded guilty to the two count charge of conspiracy and vandalism of cables .

Delivering her judgment, the presiding Judge, Hon. Justice M. A. Onyetenu (Miss), had sentenced Ndubuisi Ogbonnia and Chinedu Gabriel (first and second Defendants) to a jail term of three years on the first count of conspiracy.

On the second count of vandalism, the Judge sentenced the first Defendant, Ndubuisi Ogbonnia to a jail term of four years, while the second Defendant, Chinedu Gabriel was sentenced to serve a six -year jail term. The statement added that the sentences are to run concurrently with effect from date of first custody.

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