Tegbe Convenes Security Agencies to Tackle Vandalism of Power Infrastructure

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe has convened a committee of security and government agencies to address the vandalism of electricity infrastructure, which continues to disrupt power supply and increase repair costs across the country.

The committee held its inaugural meeting in Abuja as part of efforts to protect power assets across the generation, transmission and distribution segments of the electricity sector.

Attacks on power infrastructure often lead to outages for households and businesses, while the cost of repairing damaged facilities places additional pressure on the sector and threatens investments needed to improve electricity supply.

The meeting brought together the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa; directors from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); the Permanent Secretary; and directors from the Ministry of Power and relevant agencies.

The committee is expected to coordinate the responsibilities of the participating institutions and develop measures to prevent further attacks. Its work will also be aligned with ONSA’s critical infrastructure unit, with power facilities treated as assets requiring national security protection.

During the meeting, participants proposed stricter enforcement of existing laws against vandalism, the use of technology to protect critical infrastructure, and public sensitisation to discourage attacks.

The agencies also pledged to work together to identify and prosecute offenders, while strengthening preventive measures to reduce the damage caused by vandalism.

The committee is scheduled to meet again next week to assess progress and review the implementation of the proposed measures.

If effectively implemented, the initiative is expected to help reduce outages linked to damaged infrastructure, improve the reliability of electricity supply and protect public and private investments in the power sector.