The Nigerian government has launched a major operation to restore electricity in the Northeast, Northwest, and Northcentral regions, which have been plagued by darkness for eight consecutive days.
The outage was caused by the destruction of critical infrastructure by bandits.
Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru revealed that President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of troops to provide full security cover for electricity workers repairing the damaged towers.
The government has confirmed that bandits were responsible for bringing down the electricity towers, according to Daily Trust.
The affected regions include areas impacted by the tripping of the 330kV circuit transmission lines between Benue and Enugu, as well as Shiroro and Kaduna.
To address the crisis, the government is working around the clock to ensure the security of critical infrastructure.
According to Badaru, the National Security Adviser has initiated efforts to secure roads for workers to access and repair the damaged towers.
The minister assured stakeholders that the problem would be fixed as soon as possible, urging calm while the repair work is underway.
The government’s swift response aims to mitigate the impact of the destruction and ensure the restoration of essential services.
The deployment of troops demonstrates the administration’s commitment to protecting critical national infrastructure and maintaining public safety.
“This morning, the National Security Adviser started with the tower, the electricity tower that has been brought down by bandits and that together we are pushing this morning to see how we secure the roads for the workers to go and fix and also develop means and ways to continue to protect those infrastructures.
“So, we are ready and able and we are charged by Mr. President’s order to be on our toes all the time. And I assure you, the National Security Adviser is always on his toes and pushing so hard for the protection of the national security assets,” the Defence Minister said.
