By Agatha Chitumu, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - Two towers along the 330kV Shiroro–Kaduna transmission lines one and two have been vandalized, and has led to the damage of parts of both transmission lines.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) made the announcement over the weekend.
They hinged their submission on the ongoing nefarious activities around the Shiroro and its neighbouring communities in recent times.
It would be recalled that the Bandits had once killed 13 farmers in the Shiroro community.
Giving more insight, the TCN, the 330kV transmission hinted that line one tripped first, followed shortly by the second, as efforts were still ongoing to reclose the first line, prompting the urgent mobilization of local vigilantes to patrol the lines.
It added that the development led to the discovery of two damaged towers, towers T133 and tower T 136, with their cables badly damaged at several points.
In a statement, the company's General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, she issued in Abuja on Friday, said arrangements are in top gear to deploy the newly procured "emergency restoration system" to the site, pending the reconstruction of the damaged towers.
TCN said it had conducted an aerial survey in collaboration with security operatives, given the area's vulnerability to banditry, which poses a significant threat to both TCN installations and personnel.
The company stated further that the interim, its engineers had implemented a temporary measure to supply bulk power to the Kaduna and Kano regions via the 330kV Kaduna – Jos transmission line.
"The vandalized Shiroro – Kaduna 330kV lines 1&2 are vital lines through which bulk power is transmitted to parts of the North West region, with each line capable of carrying 600MW
"The vandalism of the towers and transmission lines presents a significant challenge to bulk power transmission in that axis.
"We are however committed to re-erecting the towers and restringing the transmission lines to restore bulk power transmission through both 330kV power transmission lines", the company stated.