Community Vigilante Foils Midnight Attack on Benin–Onitsha 330kV Transmission Tower, Suspected Vandal Arrested By Raymond Enoch
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has commended the vigilance and swift action of the Omelu Community Vigilante, whose routine patrol led to the arrest of a suspected vandal allegedly attempting to damage a transmission tower along the Benin–Onitsha 330kV Transmission Line.
The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 2, 2026, when members of the community vigilante reportedly spotted a suspicious individual beneath one of TCN’s transmission towers during a routine patrol.
The suspect, identified as Mr. Humphry Anala, 34, an indigene of Auchi, Edo State, who resides in Benin City, was allegedly attempting to loosen the tower’s base bracing—an act that could have compromised the structural integrity of the transmission tower and disrupted electricity supply.
Following his arrest, the suspect was handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigation. He remains in the custody of the Corps and is expected to be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
Preliminary findings indicate that the suspect had reportedly been apprehended by members of the same community about two months earlier for a similar alleged offence. He was said to have been released after pleading for leniency following medical treatment, only to be apprehended again for an alleged repeat offence.
TCN commended the vigilance and sustained commitment of the Omelu Community Vigilante in protecting critical national infrastructure and expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for its continued collaboration in safeguarding the nation’s transmission assets.
The company strongly condemned all acts of vandalism and sabotage against power transmission infrastructure, warning that such criminal activities threaten the reliability of electricity supply and undermine national development.
TCN also called on host communities and members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities around transmission towers, substations, and other power installations to the nearest security agency or TCN office, stressing that safeguarding critical infrastructure is a shared national responsibility.
