By Abdul Kareem

Once more, Boko Haram’s suspected assault on electricity infrastructure has left parts of Borno state without power, raising serious concerns.

At approximately 9:15 pm on December 21, 2023, Maiduguri experienced a sudden blackout, with residents initially assuming it was a routine power outage. However, the power failed to return, causing worry among electricity distribution personnel.

In a distant village, Katsaita, residents witnessed not an outage, but a deafening explosion followed by a lightning-like glow at the exact same time.

“It was the Boko Haram terrorists that used a suspected massive bomb to bring down one of the high tension towers,” said Nasiru, a resident.

This incident mirrors a previous blackout experienced in mid-January 2021, when Borno state endured a year-long power outage following an attack on high-tension electricity towers, allegedly by Boko Haram. Despite the towers being restored in April 2021, they were brought down again shortly after.

Ndidi Mbah, General Manager Public Affairs of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), confirmed the recent incident as an act of vandalism. TCN engineers discovered evidence of explosives used in the attack and have mobilized a contractor to commence reconstruction work.

The repeated attacks on the power infrastructure have not only disrupted the lives of residents but have also raised concerns about the ongoing vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the consistent disruption of power supply to the region.