Vandals Steal Underground Cable, Cause Power Outage In Abuja

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed that parts of the Presidential Villa and 60% of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, are experiencing power outages following the theft of a 132-kilovolt underground cable.

In a statement released by TCN spokesperson Ndidi Mbah on Friday, the company revealed that the vandalization occurred near the Millennium Park axis of Abuja.

The vandals reportedly stole 40 meters of 1×500 mm² XLPE conductors from two 132kV transmission lines. The stolen cable transports bulk electricity to TCN’s 132kV Central Area Transmission Substation, which supplies power to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for distribution to customers in Central Area and surrounding areas.

According to TCN, the incident has disrupted power supply to over 60% of the FCT, affecting areas such as Maitama, Wuse, Jabi, Life Camp, Asokoro, Utako, Mabushi, and parts of the Presidential Villa.

TCN engineers have been mobilized to repair the damaged cables. Meanwhile, AEDC had earlier attributed recent power outages in Abuja to issues with 132-kilovolt transmission lines from Katampe to the AT5 Central Area Transmission Station.