Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have blown-off Tower No.T372 along Gombe-Damaturu-Maiduguri 330KVA transmission line.
The blowing up of the tower on Saturday has thrown the two state capitals of Yobe and Borno into total darkness.
According to a statement by Ndidi Mbah, the spokesman of the Transmission Company of Nigeria indicates that engineers have been deployed to dismantle and evacuate the collapsed tower for reconstruction.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hereby states that its tower No.T372, along Gombe-Damaturu-Maiduguri 330KA transmission line was brought down by vandals on Saturday 21st September 2024, at about 1.44am. This development has thrown the whole of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, up to Maiduguri in Borno state out of power supply,” the statement read.
“Following this destruction attack, effort is ongoing by TCN’s engineers in the interim to back feed Damaturu through a 33KV transmission line from Potiskum, while Maiduguri town will be fed from the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant.
“Meanwhile, work will commence immediately to dismantle and evacuate the collapsed tower for reconstruction and restoration of the transmission line.”
Mbah who described the incident as unfortunate, further pledged the commitment of the TCN to restore bulk power to the affected areas and will expedite reconstruction work on the tower to ensure that it is completed as soon as possible.
With the destruction of the tower, the residents of Damaturu the state capital will seriously be faced with water scarcity as most of the government boreholes draw power from the Yola Electricity Distribution Company which is the major distributor in the state.