morganable politics/Governance
According to the ministry, the committee was established in response to attacks on generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, which disrupt electricity supply, increase repair costs and undermine investments required to improve the sector.
KaNo—
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has constituted a ministerial committee involving security agencies and electricity sector stakeholders to tackle the persistent vandalism of power infrastructure across Nigeria.
The committee is expected to develop coordinated measures to prevent attacks on electricity installations, enforce existing laws against offenders and strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure through technology and public sensitisation.
The initiative comes amid repeated attacks on generation, transmission and distribution assets, which have disrupted electricity supply, increased repair costs and placed additional financial pressure on efforts to improve the country’s fragile power network.
In a statement announcing the committee’s formation on Friday, the Ministry of Power said the initiative was part of the Federal Government’s continuing efforts to guarantee stable and reliable electricity supply to households, businesses and industries.
The ministry explained that attacks on electricity infrastructure had continued to undermine power delivery and erode investments needed to strengthen the sector.
It said the committee would bring together relevant institutions to develop a lasting response to the problem and establish the specific responsibilities of participating agencies.
The statement read, “As part of continuing efforts to guarantee stable and reliable electricity supply for households, businesses and industry, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has convened a ministerial committee on the prevention of vandalism of power infrastructure.
“The committee brings together security and power sector stakeholders and is tasked with ending attacks on assets across the electricity value chain.”
According to the ministry, the committee was established in response to attacks on generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, which disrupt electricity supply, increase repair costs and undermine investments required to improve the sector.
Its mandate also includes defining the contributions of participating institutions towards achieving a sustainable solution.
The inaugural meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa; directors from the Office of the National Security Adviser; the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power; and directors from the ministry and relevant agencies.
The ministry said the committee’s activities would be aligned with the critical infrastructure unit of the Office of the National Security Adviser, highlighting the government’s position that protecting electricity installations was a national security priority.
During the meeting, participants proposed measures to prevent vandalism and outlined the responsibilities of their respective offices and agencies.
They agreed to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws, ensure that suspected offenders were prosecuted and deploy technology to protect critical national assets.
The committee also identified public sensitisation and advocacy as important components of the strategy, with a view to discouraging attacks before they occur.
The participants pledged to work together to address the problem and improve the protection of electricity infrastructure across the country.
The committee is scheduled to reconvene next week to review progress and assess the implementation of the proposed measures.
The renewed government action follows reports of repeated attacks on transmission infrastructure, which have raised concerns about the financial and operational consequences for the electricity sector.
In June 2025, the Transmission Company of Nigeria disclosed that 42 vandalism incidents recorded during the first half of the year had affected 178 transmission towers across the country.
The company described vandalism as one of the most difficult challenges confronting its operations, noting that incidents had been recorded across several transmission regions, including Abuja, Bauchi, Enugu, Shiroro, Kano and Port Harcourt.
The affected installations form part of the infrastructure required to transport electricity from generation stations to distribution companies for onward delivery to consumers.
Damage to transmission towers and associated equipment can disrupt the movement of electricity across the network, leaving communities and businesses without adequate power even when generating stations remain operational.
The scale of the financial burden was also highlighted in January 2025, when the then Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed that more than N9bn had been spent restoring vandalised electricity infrastructure in northern Nigeria in 2024.
The expenditure underscored the resources required to repair damaged installations and restore electricity supply following attacks.
Vandalism of power infrastructure involves the destruction or theft of critical equipment, including transmission tower components, conductors, cables and other materials necessary for the safe and efficient operation of the electricity network.
Such attacks can expose installations to further damage and require extensive repairs before affected lines can return to service.
Beyond the immediate costs of replacing stolen or damaged equipment, repeated incidents place additional pressure on the technical and financial resources of electricity institutions.
Funds spent repairing vandalised installations could otherwise support network expansion, maintenance and improvements intended to increase transmission capacity and strengthen the reliability of electricity supply.
The consequences can also extend to households and businesses that depend on regular electricity to support their daily activities.
For small businesses, prolonged outages can increase operating costs, particularly for those relying on generators to sustain their operations. Industries may also experience production disruptions, while households can face difficulties accessing essential services that depend on electricity.
The problem therefore presents both a security challenge and an obstacle to efforts to improve electricity delivery across the country.
The establishment of the ministerial committee signals a shift towards stronger coordination between security agencies and power sector institutions, rather than relying primarily on repairs after vandalism has occurred.
By defining institutional responsibilities, enforcing existing laws and introducing technology-driven protection measures, the government hopes to strengthen the prevention, detection and prosecution of attacks on electricity assets.
However, the effectiveness of the initiative will depend on the implementation of the proposed measures, sustained cooperation among participating agencies and the ability to ensure that offenders face the consequences of their actions.
The committee’s next meeting is expected to provide an opportunity to assess progress and determine how the proposed interventions will be translated into practical action.
The Ministry of Power said effective implementation of the measures would reduce outages caused by attacks on infrastructure, improve the dependability of electricity supply and strengthen protection for public and private investments in the sector.
The government’s challenge will be to ensure that the committee’s resolutions produce sustained results in a sector where infrastructure damage, repair expenses and supply disruptions continue to complicate efforts to provide reliable electricity to Nigerians.
