Deborah Akinyosoye
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Friday said the Presidential Villa has been thrown into darkness as rising cases of theft of electricity cables disrupt power supply.
TCN, in a statement, and another from the Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, showed that a 132kV transmission line and underground cables supplying power to central parts of the Federal Capital Territory and its environs were vandalized.
The vandalized 132kV underground cable transports bulk electricity to TCN’s 132kV Central Area transmission substation, which then supplies power through eight distribution feeders to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
General Manager at TCN, Ndidi Mba, said the incident, which occurred around the Millennium Park, a few kilometers away from the Presidential Villa, saw the vandals carting away 40 meters of 1x500mm² XLPE conductors on the two 132kV transmission lines.
She said areas experiencing power outages include Maitama, Wuse, Jabi, Lifecamp, Asokoro, Utako, Mabushi, and parts of the Presidential Villa.
Mba added that TCN engineers have already been mobilized to the site of the incident to repair the vandalized cables.