Blackout hits Abuja as vandals attack TCN cables

Abuja’s Central Area and surrounding districts have been plunged into darkness following the theft of essential underground cables belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The company confirmed that vandals attacked the 132kV transmission line and underground cables, causing significant disruption to the power supply across the nation’s capital.
In a statement on Friday, Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, revealed that the incident occurred near the Millennium Park area, where 40 metres of 1x500mm² XLPE conductors from two 132kV transmission lines were stolen.
Mbah explained that the stolen cables are vital for transporting bulk electricity to TCN’s Central Area transmission substation, which supplies power to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for onward distribution to consumers.
“The incident, which was carried out around the Millennium Park axis of Abuja, has affected over 60% of the power supply to Abuja as the vandals carted away 40 meters of 1x500mm² XLPE conductors on the 2 numbers 132kV transmission lines.
“Consequently, areas experiencing power outages include Maitama, Wuse, Jabi, Lifecamp, Asokoro, Utako, Mabushi, and parts of the Presidential Villa,” she said.
Mbah added that TCN engineers have been dispatched to the site to repair the damaged cables. She also called on citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to security agencies.