- Vandals damaged underground cables, causing a major blackout in Abuja.
- Key areas, including Maitama and Wuse, lost power due to the incident.
- Repairs are underway, and residents are urged to report suspicious activities.
Large parts of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, were plunged into darkness after suspected vandals damaged underground transmission cables supplying electricity to key areas.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed on Friday that the affected areas include Maitama, Wuse, Jabi, Lifecamp, Asokoro, Utako, and Mabushi.
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These neighborhoods host critical federal institutions, including the Federal Secretariat, courts, and security agency headquarters.
According to a statement from TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the incident disrupted over 60% of Abuja’s power supply.
Vandals stole approximately 40 meters of high-capacity conductors from two 132kV transmission lines near the Menillum Park axis.
“This vandalized 132kV underground cable is critical to transporting bulk electricity to the Central Area substation, which supplies power to multiple distribution feeders,” Mbah explained.
TCN engineers have been deployed to repair the damaged cables, but no timeline for power restoration has been provided.
Mbah called for heightened public vigilance, urging citizens to report suspicious activities around power infrastructure to security agencies.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) also informed residents about the outage via social media.
Areas affected include Federal Secretariat, Transcorp Hotel, Eagle Square, INEC headquarters, and parts of Jabi, Kado Estate, and Garki.
The blackout has caused significant disruptions in these highbrow areas, which house numerous federal offices and key commercial establishments.
TCN stressed the importance of protecting transmission infrastructure, noting its crucial role in advancing Nigeria’s power sector.
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Authorities have not yet identified the perpetrators of the vandalism.
Residents and businesses in Abuja are urged to remain patient as repair efforts continue, with hopes that power will be restored promptly to minimize further inconvenience.
