A suspected vandal has been crushed to death after a vandalised 330kV transmission tower collapsed along the Ughelli-Benin transmission line in Delta State.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, August 8, 2026, saying the body was discovered during an intensive patrol of the transmission line.
According to TCN, the patrol was conducted by its Delta Sub-Region Lines Maintenance Department following the tripping of the Ughelli-Benin 330kV transmission line on earth fault.
The patrol team traced the fault to Tower 101, which had collapsed, and found the body of the suspected vandal trapped and crushed between the tower members.
Further inspection by the maintenance team revealed that Tower 101 on the adjacent Ughelli-Sapele 330kV transmission line had also been seriously vandalised.
TCN said the second tower was still standing as of the time of the report.
The power transmission company condemned the vandalism, warning that tampering with electricity infrastructure poses serious risks to lives and can result in power outages and damage to critical national assets.
It appealed to host communities and members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities around power installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.
TCN stressed that the protection of electricity infrastructure requires the collective efforts of government agencies, security personnel, host communities and the general public.
The company said the incident serves as a tragic reminder of the dangers associated with vandalising power infrastructure, urging Nigerians to help prevent further attacks on transmission facilities.