Nigeria’s electricity transmission network came under sustained pressure in 2025 as the Transmission Company of Nigeria recorded 131 separate cases of vandalism across its assets nationwide.
The incidents, which occurred at different locations on the transmission grid, disrupted power supply, damaged critical equipment, and increased operational costs for the company.
TCN said the repeated attacks continue to pose a serious risk to grid reliability and undermine efforts to improve electricity delivery across the country.
According to the company, vandalism targeted transmission towers, conductors, transformers, and other high-voltage infrastructure essential to evacuating power from generation plants to distribution networks.
Each incident required emergency repairs, often involving the replacement of stolen or destroyed components and the deployment of security personnel to affected areas.
Despite the scale of the challenge, TCN noted that 2025 also marked a year of operational progress. The company achieved a new peak transmission record and expanded its wheeling capacity through grid upgrades and infrastructure investments.
However, officials warned that vandalism continues to erode these gains by triggering outages and delaying planned improvements.
TCN said it is working closely with security agencies, host communities, and government institutions to curb the attacks.
The company stressed that protecting transmission assets is critical not only for power supply stability but also for safeguarding public investment in the electricity sector.
Energy analysts say persistent vandalism reflects broader security and enforcement gaps around critical national infrastructure. They warn that without stronger deterrence, surveillance, and community engagement, attacks on transmission facilities could continue to weigh on Nigeria’s power sector performance.
As Nigeria seeks to boost generation capacity and improve electricity access, TCN said addressing vandalism remains a top priority.
The company urged stakeholders to treat power infrastructure as a national asset, noting that sustained grid stability depends on collective action to protect transmission facilities across the country.