The Federal Government has established a ministerial committee to coordinate efforts to combat the vandalism of electricity infrastructure, which has contributed to repeated power disruptions and billions of naira in repair costs.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, convened the committee’s inaugural meeting in Abuja, bringing together security agencies and relevant government institutions to develop a coordinated strategy for protecting assets across the electricity value chain.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Power, the committee was established in response to attacks on generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, which disrupt electricity supply, increase repair costs and undermine investment in the sector.
“Its mandate also includes defining the contribution each institution will make toward a lasting solution,” the statement added.
The scale of the problem was highlighted by figures from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which recorded 42 vandalism incidents affecting 178 transmission towers in the first half of 2025.
Between January and November 2024, the government also spent ₦8.8 billion repairing 128 vandalised transmission towers, diverting resources that could have been used for network expansion and modernisation.
Participants at the committee’s inaugural meeting included the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Maj. Gen. Adeyinka Famadewa; directors from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); and representatives of the Federal Ministry of Power and relevant agencies.
The statement said participants agreed to align the committee’s activities with ONSA’s critical infrastructure unit, reflecting the importance of electricity assets to national security and economic activity.
The committee also resolved to enforce existing laws against vandalism, deploy technology to protect critical installations and intensify public awareness campaigns to discourage attacks.
Participating institutions pledged to strengthen coordination and ensure that offenders are brought to justice.
The committee is expected to reconvene next week to assess progress and review the implementation of the agreed measures.
