Suspected vandals have destroyed a High Tension Transmission Line using an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Unguwar Kanawa, a suburb of the Bauchi metropolis.
Our correspondent reports that the power transmission, which passes through Bauchi State, supplies electricity to other northeastern states.
Residents of the community reported overhearing a huge sound in the backyard and later discovered that the High Tension Mast had been brought down.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, said the command had received a report about the incident from the Chief Security Officer of the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi.
“On 01/02/2024 at about 22:00 hrs, the Bauchi State Police Command received a report from the Chief Security Officer of Federal Polytechnic Bauchi indicating that on the quoted date, a loud sound was heard around an electric High Tension Transmission Line situated at the Anguwan Kanawa area, a suburb of the Bauchi metropolis.
“Upon receiving the report, a team of police operatives, including specialized personnel from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chemicals Biological Radioactive and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) Unit, was drafted and deployed to the scene immediately.
“Consequently, a preliminary investigation revealed that a High Tension pole had collapsed and was damaged as a result of explosives used by suspected economic vandals. Furthermore, the vicinity was cordoned off and swept by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chemicals Biological Radioactive and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) Operatives,” he said.
Wakil added that some remnant components of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were recovered from the scene.
He said a discreet, full-scale investigation into the incident is underway to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice.