The Federal Government has acknowledged that it spent N8.8 billion in 2024 to restore and rebuild transmission towers vandalised in different parts of the country.
Ahmed Abdulaziz, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transition Company of Nigeria, disclosed this at the Quarterly Power Sector Working Group meeting in Abuja.
In a statement signed on Wednesday, Bolaji Tunji, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, stated that the government has not yet succeeded in prosecuting detained vandals since the Nigerian Police typically release them on bond.
According to Abdulaziz, who was accompanied by Engr. Olugbenga Ajiboye, Executive Director, TCN Transmission Service Provider, 128 transmission towers nationwide were demolished between January and November 2024 by robbers or vandals.
He also bemoaned the fact that those who have been caught are being released on bail, which allows them to resume their illicit actions and severely damages the country’s essential transmission infrastructure.
He clarified that the perpetrators were released on bail for stealing rather than damage after they were caught and turned over to the police for prosecution.
