Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited has decried unrelenting attacks on power infrastructure by economic saboteurs.
In a statement on Sunday, NDPHC,
announced that vandals have destroyed six transmission towers and killed vigilante in Rivers state.
The NDPHC Media Adviser, Adesanya Adejokun, said “during routine patrol in the night of November 25, 2022, vigilantes encountered vandals along Afam-Onne 330kV DC Transmission Line.
“The vigilantes called for military reinforcement but before help came, one of the guards was shot and later died.”
According to him, the line connecting Afam to Onne in Port Harcourt is the first 330kV Double Circuit Transmission supply line to the capital of Rivers State.
The statement recalled several attacks that had been carried out in recent past leading to destruction of infrastructure as well as killing or maiming of contractors.
“On September 3, 2022, some miscreants attacked and vandalized the 330kV DC Afam – Onne Transmission Line in Gbake community of Ogoniland, River State.
“The vandals cut down four
Transmission Towers (T19, T20, T21 and T22), dismantled and carted them away.
“Again, on October 10, 2022, the vandals attacked and vandalized two additional towers on the same 330kV DC Afam – Onne Transmission Line.
“During a third attempt luck, however, ran out on them as efforts of vigilante members, buoyed by security operatives paid off, resulting in the arrest of nine of the
miscreants.
“They have since been charged to court to face the full wrath of the law,” Adejokun said.
He noted further that “The persistent attacks on the line have caused substantial damage to the transmission line project and it will take huge sums of money to effect needed reconstruction and repairs in addition to resultant delays on delivery time.”
Meanwhile, Executive Director, Corporate Services at NDPHC, Nkechi Mba has commiserated with the deceased immediate and extended families, promising that the company will support them in this their
moment of grief.
“The company is grateful for his gallantry in the line of duty and we hereby pledge support for his family in this moment of great sorrow”, she stated while declaring “We will be relentless in hunting these vandals down, particularly those who assassinated the young man.”
According to her, “the necessity of reenforcing the message of communal ownership of critical infrastructure cannot be over emphasized.
” The infrastructure that governments develop is done with taxpayers’ money and is therefore owned by the people.”
She appealed to members of the public to regard “public infrastructure as our commonwealth and strive to jointly always protect it.”
Mba expressed gratitude to law enforcement agents for their continuous support in trying to engage and deter economic criminals who vandalise NDPHC assets, saying the company “will ensure that anyone caught vandalizing our assets will be made to face severe legal sanctions.”
