TCN launches sensitization drive in Ebonyi communities to curb power infrastructure vandalism

The Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN, Enugu Region, has taken its anti-vandalism campaign to host communities in Ebonyi State, conducting a sensitization exercise across Umuhuali, Ezillo, and Nkalagu communities to stem a growing tide of attacks on critical power infrastructure.

The campaign, led by the General Manager, Transmission for the Enugu Region, Dr. Thomas Inugonum, targeted five key threats to transmission infrastructure: vandalism of high-voltage 330kV and 132kV power lines, illegal construction within TCN’s Right of Way RoW, excavation of soil around transmission tower bases, human activities, including trading, farming, and habitation , directly beneath high-tension towers, and the burning of waste materials under transmission lines.

“Transmission tower components worth millions of naira are vandalized and sold to illicit scrap dealers for a fraction of their value,” Dr. Inugonum said, stressing the enormous economic damage that such acts inflict on the nation’s power sector.

The consequences, he warned, extend far beyond financial loss. He recalled a sobering incident in Ezillo in which an unidentified vandal was electrocuted while attempting to tamper with Tower 34 on the Nkalagu-Abakaliki 132kV transmission line, a grim reminder of the lethal risks involved. He also disclosed that on May 9, 2026, two vandals were apprehended in Ezza Umuhuali after dismantling key components from Towers T15, T16, and T17 along the same line, thanks to the swift response of local youths and security personnel.

Dr. Inugonum expressed optimism that the Ebonyi initiative would replicate the positive results recorded in similar campaigns previously held in Makurdi, Benue State, and in the Agbogugu and Ihe communities of Enugu State. He called on residents to report any suspicious activities around TCN installations to security agencies or via TCN’s dedicated hotlines.

The exercise began with a courtesy visit to the traditional ruler of Umuhuali Autonomous Community, HRH Eze Patrick Nwafor Udoku, who received the TCN delegation alongside members of his cabinet. HRH Eze Udoku gave his full backing to the campaign, pledging that his domain would commit to protecting power installations and respecting TCN’s Right of Way.

Community leaders echoed the same resolve. The President General of Ezza Umuhuali Town Union, Hon. Solomon Nweke, credited the May arrest of the vandalism suspects to the vigilance of local watchmen and community leaders, and described attacks on power infrastructure as “a direct assault on the national economy that endangers lives and property.” He called on TCN to sustain its engagement with host communities and bolster support for grassroots surveillance efforts.

The sensitization exercise closed with participants from all three communities pledging their full cooperation with TCN and security agencies to protect transmission facilities that serve both their localities and the wider nation.