Abuja Faces Power Outage As Vandals Strike Shiroro-Katampe Transmission Line Again

Vandalism Disrupts Power Supply in Abuja Once More

Several parts of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, were plunged into darkness following another incident of vandalism targeting the 330-kilovolt Shiroro-Katampe Transmission Line. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed the occurrence through its spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, in a statement released late Thursday.

Incident Details

The incident, which occurred at around 11:43 PM on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, led to the loss of electricity supply from the grid. Upon investigation by TCN’s patrol team, it was discovered that a section of the power conductor between towers T216 and T218 had been stolen by vandals.

Mbah explained that a maintenance crew has already been deployed to the site, and efforts are underway to replace the vandalized components and restore bulk power supply through the affected transmission line. However, no specific timeline has been provided for when power will be fully restored.

“A TCN lines patrol team from the Abuja Regional Office was dispatched to determine the fault’s cause. It was confirmed that vandals had stolen part of the conductor between towers T216 and T218. Restoration efforts are ongoing, and power supply is expected to resume soon,” Mbah stated.

Affected Areas

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) earlier announced outages in various parts of the capital city, including:

Major Institutions: CBN Headquarters, Ecumenical Centre, Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture.
Hotels and Complexes: New Chelsea Hotel, Army War College, Reiz Continental Hotel, Lozumba Complex.
Residential and Commercial Streets: Katsina Ala, Kila Close, Rudolf Close, La Street, Rima Street, and others.

Repeated Vandalism Cases

This latest attack is a recurring issue, with LMSINT MEDIA reporting earlier in the year that the Shiroro-Kaduna line suffered five instances of vandalism between February and March 2024. These incidents not only disrupt power supply but also strain the nation’s already fragile electricity infrastructure.

Call for Action

The TCN urges communities to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities around power infrastructure to curb the menace of vandalism. The restoration of the damaged transmission line remains a priority to ensure uninterrupted power supply to affected areas.