Five persons have been arrested in the Upu community of Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue State, for allegedly vandalising high-voltage transmission infrastructure belonging to the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
Their arrest, carried out by local vigilantes, was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the TCN.
According to the company, the suspects were caught on November 3 while attempting to sabotage the Otukpo–Yandev 132kV single-circuit transmission line.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that ongoing efforts to safeguard its facilities are yielding results with the arrest of five suspected vandals from Upu community by local vigilantes,” the statement read.
TCN explained that the suspects were apprehended while tampering with towers N16 and N17 in the ASA 3 axis, with the damage extending to eight additional towers along the line.
They were subsequently handed over to the Benue State Police Command along with dismembered tower parts and other exhibits recovered at the scene for further investigation and prosecution.
The company added that engineers had isolated the damaged portion of the line and restored bulk power supply to the Yandev, Wukari, Takum and Kashimbila substations through the Apir substation, while the Otukpo substation is currently being back-fed from the New Haven axis.
TCN commended the Otukpo council chairman, Hon. Maxwell Ogiri, as well as community leaders, youths and local vigilantes for supporting efforts that led to the arrests.
It also pledged to sustain its partnership with host communities to ensure the protection of critical transmission assets.