Vandals have damaged Tower 50, a section of the 132 kilovolts New Haven to Otukpo power transmission line in Onyoho of Enugu East in Enugu State, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said on Wednesday.
The spokesperson of the company, Ndidi Mbah, said the incident, the second in two years, was discovered during a tracing exercise to ascertain a communication disruption by some TCN officials and officials of Phase 3 Communications which operates the communication asset on the line.
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“During inspection of the lines, it was discovered that the tower legs were chopped off and being held by the conductors,” the statement said, adding that Onyoho village has been volatile due to kidnappings.
The New Haven (Enugu) to Otukpo (Benue) line is one of the critical lines in the South-East that conveys power from Enugu to Benue State. Although the line is still active, TCN said the tower would need to be replaced to avoid a potential collapse of the entire line.
TCN however said a person suspected to be one of the vandals was burnt beyond recognition at the location from contact with the live high tension.
The Assistant General Manager, Enugu Sub-Region, Engr. Charles Iwuamadi, who led the team described the electrocution incident as a big lesson to potential vandals.
