By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
A suspected vandal has been crushed to death after a transmission tower he allegedly vandalised collapsed on him along the 330kV Ughelli-Benin transmission line in Delta State.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, August 8, 2026, saying the incident was discovered during an intensive patrol by its Delta Sub-Region Lines Maintenance Department (LMD).
According to TCN, the patrol followed the tripping of the Ughelli-Benin 330kV transmission line on earth fault.
The maintenance team, while tracing the source of the fault, discovered that Tower 101 had collapsed, with the body of the suspected vandal trapped and crushed between the tower members.
Further inspection by the TCN team revealed that Tower 101 on the adjacent Ughelli-Sapele 330kV transmission line had also been seriously vandalised.
The company, however, said the Ughelli-Sapele tower was still standing as of the time of the report.
TCN condemned the vandalism, warning that the destruction of power infrastructure poses serious risks to both national assets and human lives.
The company appealed to host communities and members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities around transmission lines and other power installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN offices.
TCN stressed that the fight against vandalism of critical power infrastructure requires the collective efforts of government agencies, security personnel, host communities and the general public.
The company described the death as a tragic reminder of the dangers associated with tampering with electricity infrastructure, noting that vandalism causes power outages, damages national assets and puts lives at risk.
“Protecting power infrastructure is a civic responsibility,” TCN stated, urging Nigerians to help stop vandals before their activities cause further damage to the nation’s electricity supply.
