Power Cable Theft in Nigeria: A Daily ₦15 Billion Drain on the Economy
By Ademola Wakeel, Abuja‑based media consultant and publisher.
Every stolen kilometre of cable is more than a petty crime; it is a direct blow to Nigeria’s productive capacity. The numbers, drawn from the 2025 Nigerian Electricity Sector report released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and corroborated by World Bank energy assessments, reveal a stark reality: the nation loses roughly ₦15 billion of gross domestic product each day when large sections of the grid go dark.
The Scale of Vandalism in 2025
According to NERC’s annual infrastructure audit, eighteen transmission towers were deliberately demolished across the country in a single year. The incidents spanned from Shiroro in Niger State to Port Harcourt in Rivers State, and from Kaduna to Benin City.
- The combined replacement cost of those towers exceeded ₦3.6 billion.
- Underground cables in Abuja have been attacked repeatedly, with repair bills surpassing ₦5 billion.
- Each of the twelve distribution companies (DisCos) reported sales losses in the hundreds of millions of naira due to outages caused by theft.
When these figures are translated into economic output using the widely accepted “Value of Lost Load” (VoLL) metric, the daily GDP loss stands at ₦15 billion – an amount equivalent to the entire annual budget of several Nigerian states.
Case Study: The Benin‑Ughelli/Sapele Line Failure
In December 2025, five towers on the Benin‑Ughelli/Sapele transmission corridor collapsed in a coordinated attack, wiping out 274 megawatts of power. NERC estimated the immediate loss of daily sales for the sector at ₦738 million. The outage forced:
- Factories to run diesel generators at up to four times the cost of grid power.
- Hospitals to rely on costly backup systems, jeopardising patient care.
- Small businesses and markets to shut down or operate at reduced capacity.
The scrap metal fetched by the perpetrators was estimated at only ₦50,000 – a fraction of the billions lost to the national economy.
Why Vandalism Persists: Root Causes
Economic Desperation
Poverty and chronic unemployment make the copper and aluminium in transmission lines appear as “buried treasure” to individuals with no legitimate income. A 2024 National Bureau of Statistics survey showed that over 40 % of youths in the North‑East and South‑South regions were either unemployed or underemployed, creating a fertile ground for infrastructure theft.
Unregulated Scrap Markets
Informal scrap metal dealers operate with little oversight, offering cash for stolen conductors without questioning their origin. This lax environment enables criminal networks to professionalise theft, targeting entire corridors and stripping components systematically.
Political and Criminal Motives
In some instances, attacks are politically charged – aimed at embarrassing the state or settling scores. Intelligence reports from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) have noted a rise in coordinated sabotage linked to intercommunal disputes and extremist groups seeking to undermine state authority.
Solutions Grounded in Experience and Evidence
Technological Deterrence
Deploying anti‑vandalism technologies such as drone surveillance, Internet of Things (IoT) vibration sensors, and tamper‑proof cable coatings raises the risk and cost for thieves. Pilot projects in Kenya and South Africa have shown a 60 % reduction in cable theft after similar measures were introduced.
Legal and Enforcement Reforms
The Electricity Act 2023 already stipulates harsher penalties for infrastructure sabotage. What is missing is consistent enforcement. Specialised prosecutorial units within the Nigerian Police Force, coupled with fast‑track courts, can ensure swift justice and deter repeat offenses.
Regulating the Scrap Metal Supply Chain
Licensing scrap dealers, mandating provenance verification, and imposing steep fines for purchasing known stolen material would break the profit chain. The Nigerian Minerals and Metals Act provides a framework that can be adapted for electrical conductors.
Community Engagement and Economic Empowerment
Traditional rulers, local vigilante groups, and community development associations are invaluable allies in monitoring high‑risk routes. Pairing surveillance with vocational training, micro‑credit schemes, and agricultural support in the most affected LGAs can address the underlying poverty that fuels theft.
Conclusion: Protecting the Grid Is Protecting Nigeria’s Future
Nigeria cannot industrialise, attract serious foreign direct investment, or build a resilient digital economy on a power grid that criminals can dismantle with a hacksaw. The daily loss of ₦15 billion is not an abstract statistic; it translates into idle factories, darkened hospitals, and lost livelihoods for millions of Nigerians.
Addressing cable vandalism requires a blend of technology, law enforcement, market regulation, and grassroots empowerment – all guided by credible data and the lived experience of those on the ground. As Ademola Wakeel emphasizes, the grid belongs to every Nigerian, and so does the responsibility to safeguard it.
References
- Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). 2025 Nigerian Electricity Sector Infrastructure Audit Report. Abuja: NERC, 2025.
- World Bank. Nigeria Energy Access Diagnostic. Washington, DC: World Bank Group, 2024.
- National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Labour Force Survey, Q4 2024. Abuja: NBS, 2025.
- Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). Threat Assessment: Infrastructure Sabotage in Nigeria. Abuja: ONSA, 2025.
- International Energy Agency (IEA). Strategies to Reduce Copper Theft in Power Networks. Paris: IEA, 2023.
