Greed, poverty, primary drivers of vandalism - TCN *As company takes anti-vandalism campaign to 7 communities in Enugu

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By Iheanyi Chukwudi

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has identified greed and poverty as the primary drivers of vandalism in the country.

Consequently, it has solicited for community participation in protecting the Power installation and deployment of more security personnel to enable the tracking of the illegal resale of stolen tower parts.

The TCN Enugu Region, General Manager(Transmission), Dr. Thomas Inugonum, made the call when he led Management team of the Region to seven communities in Agbogugu and Ihe, all in Awgu local government of Enugu state, on a sensitization visit.

The seven communities whose leaders in turn pledged to safeguard federal Power Installations traversing their communities include: Aka-anwu, Eziama, Obom and Obodoakpu, in Agbogugu and Enuguoke, Enuguato and Enuguechi in Ihe.

Addressing the the people at two different places after paying their monarchs courtesy visits, Inugonum said, "Recall that by February this year, the Security hunters from your communities arrested three Vandals vandalizing Ikot-Ekpene-Ugwuaji 330/132kV Towers line 1&2 were vandalized with Tower numbers 359-362 and carted away with what they vandalized.

Not too long on the same Ikot Ekpene-Ugwuaji 330kV line 3&4, Towers no. 360 & 363 were also vandalized again, two weeks on the same Ikot Ekpene-Ugwuaji 330KV line 1 & 2 was vandalized again, this time, on tower no. 365. All in Agbogugu Communities.

If we don't rise up to protect these power Installations, a time shall come when the hoodiums will do a Vandalism that will collapse more than 8-10 towers because the towers are in Cascade. It has a connecting link from one tower to another tower.

Recall that when such Incident happens, lives and properties will be lost, only God know when It will be rectified because it is not a small problem and kindly recall, that the money we should have used to do fresh Project will end up for reconstruction of Projects thereby taking us back.

I believe that greed and poverty Is the primary drivers of Vandalism, recall that the activities of the Vandals lead to Grid instability, Tower collapses and expensive repairs and these practices can also be termed as sabotage with severe safety and environmental risks.

Community participation in protecting the Power installation and deployment of more security personnel to enable the tracking of the illegal resale of the stolen tower parts as solutions to the menace is very necessary if really we want to safeguard what is serving us.

I therefore encourage the citizens to report any suspicious activities around TCN’s Installation to the GSM numbers we will share after the occasion.

I humbly appeal to the Traditional rulers, local Government leaders and the President General of the Communities to educate their communities, the youth in particular on the hazards of vandalism and pledge Government support in securing critical infrastructure."

Inugonum who expressed worries that electricity distribution companies had been using vandalism as an excuse for their poor distribution of power to many communities, stressed that the development was the main reason the company sought the assistance of the communities in protecting transmission lines, towers and other power installations.

He said, "It's because of this vandalism that we're here to beg you to talk to the youths to help protect this infrastructure so that whenever you don't have electricity, you know the people that are responsible for that.

I say this because we always have 24/7 electricity in our transmission stations, waiting for the DISCOs to distribute them to your homes. But they always attribute their failures to vandalized power infrastructure."

The communities through their monarchs, Presidents general and youth leaders expressed their readiness to partner the transmission company to ensure that the installations in their areas were not tampered with.

The community leaders including the traditional ruler of Obom Agbogugu, Igwe Sunday Orji and the President General of Ihe clan, Solomon Anichukwu, promised to direct their vigilante groups to mount surveillance on the infrastructure traversing their communities.

They however, asked for a partnership with TCN to ensure that the job of securing the areas were done appropriately while the company treats them as they treat other communities.

They urged TCN to always prevail on the security operatives to ensure prosecution of suspected vandals, and avoid the temptation of granting them bail only for them to return to terrorise the communities.

*Enugu Govt Calls for Global Collaboration to End Human Trafficking, Modern Slavery*

The Enugu State Government has made a clarion call to global stakeholders to unite in a common cause against the persistent scourge of human trafficking and modern-day slavery, describing the phenomenon as one of the most inhumane crimes confronting the world today.

This advocacy was made on Friday by the State Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, during a solidarity rally held in Enugu to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Addressing a diverse audience that included government officials, civil society actors, security agencies, students, and community leaders, Mrs. Enih drew attention to the 2025 global theme: “Human Trafficking is Organised Crime – End the Exploitation”, stressing that the time has come for concerted, transnational efforts to dismantle the networks of exploitation that thrive on human misery.

“Today, on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we stand in solidarity with victims of human trafficking. This crime steals dignity, freedom, and futures—especially from women and children. As we raise our voices, let’s commit to stronger protection, justice for survivors, and a society where no one is left behind,” she declared.

Mrs. Enih condemned trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery that strips victims of their basic rights and dehumanises them for profit.

She further stressed that the state government has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of slavery, abuse, and violence that compromise human dignity, and reiterated the government’s resolve to continue working closely with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and other partners to bring offenders to justice.

The commissioner also extended a rallying call to religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and local communities to intensify awareness and grassroots mobilisation against trafficking networks.

According to her, ending human trafficking requires more than institutional action—it demands a unified front by all sectors of society to prevent the recruitment, transportation, and exploitation of vulnerable individuals, especially underage girls and impoverished families.

“Every religious community, every palace, every classroom must become a fortress against trafficking. This is a fight for our humanity,” she urged the public.

Participants at the rally marched through the streets of Enugu with placards bearing messages like “Stop Human Trafficking Now,” “I Am Not For Sale,” and “Organ Harvesting is Human Trafficking.” The event was both a show of solidarity and a call to action, aiming to awaken collective consciousness and responsibility toward ending this global crime.