Tragedy Strikes Kano As Trailer Truck Destroys Power Tower, Leaving North-Western Communities In Darkness
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A devastating incident occurred in Kano State on Sunday, August 11th, 2024, when a trailer truck carrying a container crashed into the base of Tower T16, a critical power transmission infrastructure owned by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The collision destroyed the tower, causing a significant power outage in several communities across the North Western region of the country.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident happened at approximately 9:28 am, when the trailer truck lost control and drove into the base of the tower, located in Gunduwawa Village, Gezawa Local Government Area. The impact was so severe that it destroyed two legs of the tower, causing it to buckle and collapse.
The fallen tower also damaged a nearby residential building, but fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident. However, the driver of the trailer truck has been detained by the authorities, and the incident has been reported to the Gezawa Divisional Police Station.
The destruction of Tower T16 has resulted in a significant disruption to the power supply in the region. The Kano-Hadejia 132kV Transmission Line, which tripped due to the incident, has lost approximately 16.6MW of power. Despite attempts to reclose the line, the power supply remains cut off, affecting numerous communities in Jigawa and Yobe States.
The affected areas include Hadejia, Gumel, Gagarawa, Nguru, Mallammadori, Birniwa, Kafin-Hausa, Auyo, Guri, Kaugama, Taura, Garki, Maigatari, Babura, Kirikasamma, and Machina Local Government Areas. These communities will remain without power until the damaged tower is repaired and the power supply is restored.
In response to the incident, TCN has pledged to take swift action to repair the damaged tower and restore power supply to the affected areas. A contractor has already been engaged to reconstruct the tower, and mobilization to the site is expected to begin today.
Ndidi Mbah, General Manager of Public Affairs at TCN, assured that the company would do everything possible to quickly dismantle the damaged tower, re-erect a new one, and restring the lines to enable the resumption of bulk power supply to the affected substations.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining critical infrastructure and ensuring the safety of communities. As the affected areas struggle to cope with the power outage, TCN’s swift response and commitment to restoring power supply are crucial in mitigating the impact of this devastating incident.
