Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on Thursday revealed that the Federal Government has spent about N8.8 billion to repair vandalised transmission towers across the country, Edum News reports.
The revelation was made by Sule Abdulaziz, the Managing Director of TCN in a statement by Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations to the Minister of Power.
According to the statement, between Jan.13 and now, 128 transmission towers had been destroyed either by vandals or bandits, across the country.
He said that when the vandals were apprehended and handed over to the police for prosecution, they were bailed and continued with the vandalism.
The statement reads, “As I talk to you today, 128 of our towers have been destroyed by either vandals or bandits. Till date, we have spent about N8.8 billion, by our estimation, to put them back to full and functional use. It is so sad that each time the vandals were caught and taken to police for prosecution, police would charge them for theft, instead of vandalism and they will be bailed.
”If they are charged for vandalism, they cannot be bailed, but this is where we are. So, many of them have been arrested, but each time they will be bailed because police often charge their cases as that of theft.”
“In some instances, they would even tell us that it was not safe to move there. How do we get out of this? How can we deliver electricity to Nigerians under these terrible circumstances? These are part of the challenges we are facing in the power sector.”
