Vandals Strike Again at Nigeria’s Obajana Transmission Substation, Damaging Power Transformer Radiator – TCN

In another alarming incident of infrastructure vandalism, armed assailants have once again targeted the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) facilities, this time damaging a 330/132/33 kilovolt, 150 megaamperes power transformer radiator at the new Obajana Transmission Substation in Kogi State. The TCN revealed this latest attack in an official statement released by spokesperson Ndidi Mbah on Wednesday.

The attack reportedly took place on November 12, 2024, around 11:55 PM. According to Mbah, on-site security personnel reported that the assailants opened fire in a deliberate attempt to scare off guards. The gunfire left a newly positioned 150MVA 330/132/33kV power transformer’s radiator heavily damaged, delaying the substation’s planned commissioning.

In response to the attack, TCN has initiated an assessment of the damage in partnership with the project contractor. This evaluation aims to determine the repair timeline and potential impacts on the substation’s operational plans.

The Obajana Transmission Substation, nearing completion, is part of TCN’s broader expansion strategy, designed to significantly improve power delivery for Kogi State and neighboring areas. However, this incident is the latest in a troubling trend of vandalism, with TCN facilities nationwide increasingly coming under attack, causing extensive delays, blackouts, and additional repair costs.

Just three days prior to this incident, TCN had reported another major vandalism attack on the Lokoja-Gwagwalada 330kV transmission line 1, which resulted in a blackout affecting Lokoja and parts of Kogi State. The company has previously attributed ongoing national grid instability and power disruptions to such acts of sabotage. Notably, the Nigerian National Grid has experienced twelve documented collapses in recent months, which TCN links to widespread and persistent vandalism on essential infrastructure.

The TCN calls for strengthened security measures and community cooperation to combat this sabotage trend, which threatens the stability of Nigeria’s power supply and economic growth.