The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has sounded an urgent warning to residents in Kaduna State to vacate high-tension electricity corridors, citing growing threats to national power stability due to widespread encroachment and vandalism of critical infrastructure.
At a high-level stakeholder forum in Kaduna, which brought together traditional rulers, security agencies, youth leaders, and community representatives, TCN officials raised alarm over illegal structures built directly under high-voltage transmission lines. They also condemned repeated attacks on transmission facilities, which they said are severely undermining efforts to expand and stabilise electricity supply in the region and beyond.
Engineer Nasir Mansur-Fada, General Manager of TCN’s Kaduna Region, revealed that the company is investing in new transformers and transmission upgrades to enhance power delivery. However, he warned that continued vandalism and unlawful development along transmission routes threaten to derail these projects.
Technical experts, including Mr. Simon Innocent and Mr. Yakubu Abdulrazaq, explained that encroachments obstruct maintenance work, heighten the risk of electrocution, and increase the likelihood of devastating fires.
Senior Manager for Health, Safety and Environment, Mr. Kenneth John, further cautioned against turning transmission corridors into homes or marketplaces, stressing the grave safety risks and legal implications.
Responding on behalf of traditional rulers, the Sarkin Mando, Alhaji Sani Musa, praised TCN for its outreach and pledged community support. “We will go back and sensitise our people. When these power lines are damaged, our communities are the first to suffer,” he said.
With the growing strain on Nigeria’s power grid, TCN’s warning serves as a critical reminder: protecting transmission infrastructure is not only a safety imperative but essential for achieving reliable electricity nationwide.
