Police arrest suspect as vandals hit six TCN towers

The Transmission Company of Nigeria has announced the arrest of a principal suspect over the vandalism of six transmission towers along the Yola-Jalingo 330kV Transmission Line, with part of the stolen tower components recovered as security agencies intensify efforts to dismantle the criminal syndicate behind the attack.

The company disclosed on Wednesday that the affected towers, identified as T995, T998, T999, T1002, T1003 and T1004, were vandalised after criminals removed critical structural members from the installations, posing a serious threat to the integrity of the transmission line.

According to TCN, the vandalism was discovered on July 29, 2026, during a routine patrol by its engineers, who found that the vandals had stripped critical bracing members from the affected towers and carted away an estimated 130 pieces of tower members.

In a statement issued by its management, TCN said, “The Transmission Company of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that six of its transmission towers, T995, T998, T999, T1002, T1003, and T1004, along the Yola-Jalingo 330kV Transmission Line have been vandalised.

“The incident was discovered during a routine line patrol by TCN Engineers on 29th July 2026, when it was observed that vandals had stripped critical bracing members from the affected towers, carting away an estimated 130 pieces of tower members. The act posed a severe structural threat to the towers.”

The company said it swiftly collaborated with security agencies to investigate the incident and identify those responsible.

It stated that on July 30, 2026, TCN officials conducted a joint raid with operatives of the Nigeria Police Force within the affected host community, where they engaged the village head and youth leaders and demanded their full cooperation in identifying and producing the perpetrators.

The statement added, “Following the discovery, TCN, on 30th July 2026, conducted a joint raid with the Nigeria Police Force within the host community. During the exercise, the team engaged the village head and youth leadership, demanding their full cooperation in identifying and producing the perpetrators.”

According to TCN, the investigation recorded a breakthrough on August 1 after the police informed the company that a principal suspect linked to the vandalism had been apprehended and part of the stolen tower members recovered.

TCN officials subsequently visited the recovery site to verify the recovered materials and reiterated the call for the full prosecution of the suspect.

It said, “On August 1st, 2026, the Police notified TCN that a principal suspect linked to the vandalism had been apprehended, and that a portion of the stolen tower members had been recovered. TCN officials visited the site to verify the recovered materials and reiterated the call for the full prosecution of the suspect to ensure justice is served.

“The Police have obtained solid leads from the suspect in custody and remain committed to tracking down the remaining members of the syndicate. Investigations are ongoing.”

The company condemned the continued vandalism of power transmission infrastructure, warning that it undermined years of investment in the sector and threatened the stability of electricity supply.

TCN appealed to host communities and the general public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around transmission installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.