Parts of Abuja, Presidential Villa Plunged into Darkness as Vandals Strike

TCN Confirms Theft of High-Voltage Cable, Engineers Mobilized for Repairs

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed that large parts of Abuja, including sections of the Presidential Villa, are experiencing power outages following the theft of a critical 132-kilovolt underground cable. The stolen cable transports bulk electricity to TCN’s 132kV Central Area Transmission Substation, which supplies power to over 60% of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In a statement issued on Friday, TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah disclosed that the vandalism occurred near the Millennium Park axis of Abuja, where vandals carted away 40 meters of 1×500 mm² XLPE conductors from two 132kV transmission lines.

“The vandalised 132kV underground cable transports bulk electricity to TCN’s 132kV Central Area Transmission Substation, which then supplies power through 8No. distribution feeders to AEDC for onward supply to its customers in Central Area and environs,” the statement read.

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Areas Affected

The incident has plunged several districts of Abuja into darkness, including:

Maitama
Wuse
Jabi
Life Camp
Asokoro
Utako
Mabushi
Parts of the Presidential Villa

Efforts to Restore Power

TCN stated that its engineers have been mobilized to the site to repair the damaged cables. “We are working to restore electricity as quickly as possible and minimize the impact on affected areas,” the company assured.

Broader Impact

The power outage has disrupted activities in many parts of Abuja. Earlier, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) attributed the outages to faults on the 132kV lines from Katampe to the AT5 Central Area Transmission Station.

Rising Concern Over Vandalism

Cable theft and vandalism of power infrastructure continue to pose significant challenges to Nigeria’s electricity supply. TCN has called for increased vigilance and community cooperation to prevent such incidents, which disrupt critical services and incur high repair costs.

Residents in affected areas have been urged to remain patient as repair works continue.