Vandals have attacked and destroyed six transmission towers belonging to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in Rivers State within the last three months, killing one vigilante during the period.
The sordid act of the vandals was contained in a press release by the Media Adviser to the company, Mr Adesanya Adejokun, who also disclosed that nine of the vandals have so far been arrested.
He stated that the 330kV DC Afam-Onne Transmission Line in Gbake Community of Ogoniland has been attacked four times by vandals between last September and November.
“The unrelenting attacks on power infrastructure by economic saboteurs, leading to inability of Nigerians to access adequate electricity for economic growth and prosperity, has continued unabated.
“In recent times, several projects being embarked upon by Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited have been attacked and contractors either killed or maimed by attackers.
“On September 3, 2022, some miscreants attacked and vandalised the 330kV DC Afam-Onne Transmission Line in Gbake Community of Ogoniland, River State.
“The vandals cut down four Transmission Towers (T19, T20, T21 and T22), dismantled and carted them away.
“Again, on October 10, 2022, the vandals attacked and vandalised two additional towers on the same 330kV DC Afam – Onne Transmission Line.
“During a third attempt luck, however, ran out on them as efforts of vigilante members, buoyed by security operatives, paid off, resulting in the arrest of nine of the miscreants.
“They have since been charged to court to face the full wrath of the law,” the NDPHC Media Adviser stated in the press release.
He further disclosed that vigilantes, during a routine patrol in the night of November 25, 2022, again encountered vandals along the same Afam-Onne 330kV DC Transmission Line.
“The vigilantes called for military reinforcement but before help came, one of the guards was shot and later died,” Adejokun added.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director, Corporate Services, NDPHC, Nkechi Mba, has commiserated with the immediate and extended families of the deceased, just as she promised that the company will support them in their moment of grief.
“The company is grateful for his gallantry in the line of duty and we hereby pledge support for his family in this moment of great sorrow.
“We will be relentless in hunting these vandals down, particularly those who assassinated the young man,” the NDPHC Executive Director, Corporate Services stated in the press release.
Incidentally, the line connecting Afam to Onne in Port Harcourt is the first 330kV Double Circuit Transmission supply line to the capital of Rivers State.
Mba lamented the substantial damages done to the transmission line by the vandals, noting that it would require huge amount of money for the reconstruction and repair of the project.
“The persistent attacks on the line have caused substantial damage to the transmission line project and it will take huge sums of money to effect needed reconstruction and repairs in addition to resultant delays on delivery time.
“The necessity of reinforcing the message of communal ownership of critical infrastructure cannot be over-emphasised. The infrastructure that governmentd develop is done with taxpayers’ money and is therefore owned by the people,” she said.
Mba therefore appealed to members of the public to regard “public infrastructure as our commonwealth and strive to jointly always protect it.”
She assured that, while the vandals are not unrelenting in their attacks on power infrastructure, NDPHC will not leave any stone unturned in securing its assets across the state.
She also declared that the company “will ensure that anyone caught vandalising our assets will be made to face severe legal sanctions.”
She expressed gratitude to vigilantes and law enforcement agents for their continuous support in trying to engage and deter economic criminals who vandalise NDPHC assets.
