The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is seeking increased assistance from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to curb vandalism of transmission infrastructure.
The chief executive of TCN, Mr Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, told a visiting delegation from both parties at the company’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, on Wednesday, that the partnership between TCN and security agencies was growing and remained vital to protecting the national transmission network.
He said sustained inter-agency partnership, intelligence sharing, prompt response and effective law enforcement were critical to combating vandalism and protecting critical infrastructure.
Mr Abdulaziz said vandalism was a major financial and operational challenge for TCN.
He cited recent attacks that damaged six transmission towers on the Apir–Makurdi line and led to the loss of 14 spans of conductors on the Lambata 132kV line.
The TCN boss disclosed that the damage forced TCN to mobilise contractors for emergency repairs despite financial constraints, and that the vandals had struck again while repairs were ongoing.
He said TCN had been carrying out community sensitisation programmes across the country, engaging host communities, traditional rulers and security agencies to promote collective ownership and protection of transmission facilities.
He added that because the transmission network is widely spread, there was an urgent need to deploy technology-driven surveillance systems and to establish a joint monitoring centre for real-time monitoring and prompt response to threats.
On his part, Air Vice Marshal E. E. Effiom of the Nigerian Army Intelligence Programme in the office of the National Security Adviser said there was a need for innovative approaches to protect critical national assets.
He proposed a three-tier asset protection strategy he described as Delay, Awareness and Response, explaining that Delay involved physical barriers to stall intruders; Awareness meant using surveillance technology for early detection; and Response focused on apprehending and prosecuting offenders.
He added that community vigilantes remained important partners but needed timely intelligence and technological support to be effective.
Assistant Commandant General, Power, Mrs Esther Akinlade of the NSCDC, told the meeting that the Corps was committed to supporting TCN in safeguarding transmission infrastructure.
She said NSCDC commands across the federation were ready to respond to reported incidents and to work with TCN to ensure offenders were investigated and prosecuted according to the law.
TCN, in a statement, said the meeting ended with a renewed commitment by TCN, ONSA and the NSCDC to deepen institutional collaboration through improved intelligence sharing, regular stakeholder engagement and coordinated security operations.
The company said the agencies were confident that a sustained partnership would significantly reduce vandalism and help create a more reliable and resilient national grid.
