The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the collapse of Tower T99 along the Ughelli/Benin 330kV transmission line following acts of vandalism.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the company’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the incident occurred on March 15, 2026, and was discovered during a routine line patrol at Coconut Village in Effurun Local Government Area of Warri, Delta State, after a line trip.
According to her, inspection by TCN’s linesmen revealed that critical bracing components of the tower had been vandalised and removed, leading to its eventual collapse. She added that adjacent towers, T100 and T101, were also affected by vandalism, although they remain structurally intact.
The disruption has temporarily affected the evacuation of bulk electricity from Transcorp Power Plc to the national grid via the Benin 330kV transmission line.
Mbah noted that the company has begun mobilising resources for the reconstruction and reinforcement of the damaged infrastructure to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.
She warned that vandalism continues to pose a significant risk to the stability of Nigeria’s transmission network, urging host communities to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around power installations to security agencies or nearby TCN offices.
“The protection of power infrastructure is a collective responsibility,” she said, calling on stakeholders to support efforts to safeguard critical national assets.
