A suspected vandal was crushed to death after a 330kV transmission tower collapsed along the Ughelli–Benin transmission line in Delta State, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed.

The incident occurred on Saturday, August 8, 2026, and was discovered during an intensive patrol by the Delta Sub-Region Lines Maintenance Department (LMD) of TCN.

According to the transmission company, the patrol followed the tripping of the Ughelli–Benin 330kV transmission line on an earth fault.

The maintenance team traced the fault to Tower 101, which had collapsed after being vandalised.

TCN said its linesmen found the suspected vandal trapped beneath the collapsed structure.

“Linesmen found a suspected vandal crushed to death under a collapsed vandalised transmission tower,” the company said in a statement posted on its official X account on Saturday.

The victim, according to TCN, was found “crushed between the tower members.”

Further inspection of the area also revealed extensive vandalism of Tower 101 on the adjacent Ughelli–Sapele 330kV transmission line.

The second tower, however, remained standing at the time of the inspection, despite the damage inflicted on it by vandals.

TCN condemned the incident and urged host communities and members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities around electricity infrastructure.

The company appealed to Nigerians to report suspected acts of vandalism to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.

“The fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure is one that must be inclusive. All hands must be on deck for this fight to be won,” TCN said.

The company warned that tampering with electricity infrastructure poses grave risks to human lives and national assets, stressing that such acts could result in power outages, destruction of critical infrastructure and loss of lives.

“This incident is a tragic reminder of the extreme dangers of tampering with power infrastructure,” TCN said, adding that vandalism “not only leads to power outages and damage to national assets, it also endangers lives.”

TCN described the protection of electricity infrastructure as a civic responsibility and called on communities and the general public to work with relevant authorities to prevent further attacks on transmission facilities.