Bayelsa faces prolonged blackout after vandals destroy 13 transmission towers

Bayelsa State is set to experience a long period of blackout due to the recent vandalism of 13 transmission towers along the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit transmission line.

This was disclosed in a statement by Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) spokesperson Ndidi Mbah.

According to Mbah, the blackout will also affect some communities in Rivers State. He stated that a team led by the General Manager of the Port Harcourt Transmission Region, Emmanuel Akpa, to the site, discovered that all 13 towers from T52 to T64 were affected by vandalism.

Out of these, nine towers have collapsed completely, while four are hanging precariously and could collapse at any moment.

It was noted that the incident was first reported by the Youth President of the Ukpeli Community in Rivers State on August 12, 2024.

Mbah also said the Ahoada-Yenagoa 132kV Double Circuit Transmission Line is crucial for evacuating power from the Ahoada Transmission Substation to the Yenagoa Substation, which supplies electricity to the entire Bayelsa State.

“Given the extent of the destruction to the towers and the ongoing work on previously vandalised transmission towers, it may take several months for TCN to complete the rebuilding and stringing of the towers to restore power supply to the state.”

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Meanwhile, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, described the incident as a national disaster. Abdulaziz urged the governments of Rivers and Bayelsa states to help TCN curb the vandalism of its installations, which has been increasingly alarming and overwhelming.

Abdulaziz said that TCN had recently responded to the vandalism and subsequent collapse of towers T97 to T99 on the same line route on July 29, 2024, with work still ongoing to rebuild the vandalised towers.