An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has injured two staff of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) at the destroyed three transmission power towers in Borno. The towers were destroyed by Boko Haram on January 26, 2021 along 40km Jakana/Maiduguri road. The Guardian learnt at the weekend in Maiduguri that the team of engineers of TCN and Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) ran over the IED, while fixing one of the three destroyed power towers that provided electricity to Maiduguri metropolis. Since the terrorists blew up the first electric tower along the road, Borno has been plunged into darkness for five weeks; while the 87km Damboa/Maiduguri power line was dysfunctional for about a decade.
“While we were fixing the first detonated tower line, two others collapsed compounding the supply of electricity to Maiduguri and environs,” said one of the injured engineers, who was not allowed to be identified at the repair working site. The injured staff have been evacuated to the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for treatment. An anonymous security officer in Maiduguri attributed the attack on electricity towers to leaked pictures on the activities of the TCN officials on social media. According to the source, the pictures clearly show how electricity is being restored to the affected areas of the state. The incessant attacks on electricity facilities by terrorists have disrupted the power supply to Maiduguri and other parts of the state for over five weeks.
