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A suspected vandal was crushed to death after a 330kV transmission tower collapsed along the Ughelli–Benin transmission line in Delta State, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has said.

The incident occurred on Saturday, August 8, 2026, and was discovered during an intensive patrol by TCN’s Delta Sub-Region Lines Maintenance Department (LMD).

According to TCN on X on Saturday, the patrol was conducted after the Ughelli–Benin 330kV transmission line tripped on an earth fault.

The maintenance team traced the fault to Tower 101, which had collapsed.

“Linesmen found a suspected vandal crushed to death under a collapsed vandalised transmission tower,” TCN said.

The company added that the victim’s body was found “crushed between the tower members.”

Further inspection of the area revealed that Tower 101 on the adjacent Ughelli–Sapele 330kV transmission line had also been seriously vandalised.

However, TCN said the second tower was still standing at the time of the inspection.

The transmission company condemned the vandalism and appealed to host communities and members of the public to remain vigilant around power infrastructure.

TCN urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities around electricity installations to security agencies or the nearest TCN office.

“The fight against the vandalism of power infrastructure is one that must be inclusive. All hands must be on deck for this fight to be won,” the company said.

TCN warned that tampering with power infrastructure poses serious risks to lives and national assets.

“This incident is a tragic reminder of the extreme dangers of tampering with power infrastructure,” the company said, adding that vandalism “not only leads to power outages and damage to national assets, it also endangers lives.”

The company described the protection of electricity infrastructure as a civic responsibility and called on the public to help prevent further vandalism.

“Stop the vandals, or they will stop power for us all,” TCN said.

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The Nsukka Area Police Command in Enugu State has detained community activist Ezema Kelechi Henry, popularly known as “Kelwizzy,” after he repeatedly drew public attention to the poor condition of roads across Nsukka Local Government Area.

Henry’s detention has sparked concerns among residents and civil society advocates, particularly following allegations that he was assaulted by suspected state-backed thugs before being taken to the police station.

A lawyer, Malachy Odo, disclosed the development on Friday, alleging that Henry was beaten severely before his detention at the Nsukka Police Command.

According to Odo, Henry had been using his social media platforms to highlight the deplorable condition of roads within the local government area and call on authorities to intervene.

“Kelwizzy, a guy on Facebook who has been highlighting the very bad state of roads within Nsukka LGA, was beaten to a state of stupor by state-backed thugs yesterday before being detained at the Nsukka Police Command,” Odo said.

He described the incident as a troubling development, questioning the state of democracy and freedom of expression in Nigeria.

Henry had continued to document the condition of roads in Nsukka in the days leading up to his detention.

On August 4, he shared a video showing the condition of Ikpa Market Road, where large portions of the road were covered in muddy and stagnant water.

In the video, Henry said the road regularly became flooded, while the absence of adequate drainage prevented water from flowing away.

He also pointed out the difficulties faced by residents, particularly young people, who he said sometimes had to wade through the flooded portions of the road to move around the area.

Henry subsequently appealed to the Nsukka Local Government Chairman, Jude Chinedu Asogwa, and Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to urgently intervene and rehabilitate the road.

In another recent video, Henry showed the condition of Orba Road around Mbuke Lane, drawing attention to another section that had become flooded and difficult for motorists, pedestrians and other road users to navigate.

His social media activities have focused largely on exposing infrastructure challenges and drawing the attention of government officials to problems affecting residents of Nsukka.

The police have yet to publicly explain why Henry was detained or respond to the allegation that he was assaulted before his detention.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at the Nsukka Urban Police Division, when contacted by FIJ on Friday, reportedly declined to comment on the matter over the phone.

The DPO initially asked the reporter to visit his office in Enugu. When informed that the reporter was not in Enugu and preferred to communicate through WhatsApp, the officer agreed to speak by phone.

However, he had not responded as of the time of publication.

A further reminder was sent to him on Saturday, but no response had been received at press time.

FIJ also contacted the spokesperson for the Enugu State Police Command, SP Daniel Ndukwe, on Friday and Saturday.

Ndukwe reportedly did not answer the calls or respond to text messages sent to him regarding Henry’s detention and the allegations of assault.

The Enugu State Police Command had still not issued an official statement on the matter as of Saturday evening.

The controversy comes amid questions about government funding available to Nsukka Local Government Area.

Data from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), according to a check by FIJ, showed that Nsukka LGA received at least N2 billion in allocations between January and March 2026.

The local government reportedly received N750 million in January, N725 million in February and N637 million in March.

The figures amount to approximately N2.1 billion in FAAC allocations within the three-month period.

The same data reportedly showed that Nsukka Local Government Area received about N7.9 billion in FAAC allocations throughout 2025.

The figures have further intensified questions about the state of infrastructure in the area and how public funds allocated to the local government are being utilised.

For residents who regularly use the affected roads, the poor conditions have reportedly created difficulties for transportation and movement, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.

As of Saturday evening, there was no official statement from the Enugu State Police Command addressing Henry’s reported detention or the allegations surrounding his treatment.

The circumstances leading to his detention, the reason for the police action and whether any charges have been filed against him remain unclear.

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The Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced four persons to prison for their roles in a money laundering scheme involving more than $5.2 million.

Trial judge Friday Ogazi delivered the judgement on Wednesday after the four defendants pleaded guilty to charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFFC’s spokesperson Dele Oyewale named the convicts in a press statement on Friday as Bamidele Emmanuel, Abdullah Yusuf, Funmilayo Garuba and Gbenro Ademola.

They were separately arraigned on two counts of money laundering under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

According to the EFCC, investigations showed that the four sold their personal information to one Afeez Animashaun, who allegedly approached them at Mushin Market in Lagos, where they carried out their businesses.

The anti-graft agency explained that the personal details were subsequently used to register four companies—College Compass Eduguide Nigeria Limited, Hortifresh Solutions Nigeria Limited, Eduboost Innovation Nigeria Limited and Fixit Hardware and Tools Nigeria Limited.

The EFCC alleged that corporate bank accounts opened in the names of the companies received a total of $5,296,691 in January 2025.

The prosecution comes amid sustained efforts by the EFCC to curb the use of shell companies and proxy bank accounts to launder illicit funds.

In recent years, the commission has repeatedly warned Nigerians against selling or surrendering their personal information for company registration or banking purposes, saying criminal syndicates often exploit such details to facilitate financial crimes, exposing their owners to prosecution.

One of the charges against Mr Emmanuel accused him of retaining $826,691 in a Wema Bank account between 1 and 31 January 2025, funds prosecutors said he reasonably ought to have known were proceeds of unlawful activities.

All four defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.

During the proceedings, the prosecution lawyer, Bilkisu Buhari, reviewed the facts of the cases and urged the court to convict the defendants and impose appropriate sanctions.

In his judgement, Mr Ogazi convicted all four defendants on the second count of the charges.

Mr Emmanuel was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, followed by three months of community service. He was also ordered to forfeit N1 million to the Federal Government.

Ms Garuba received four months’ imprisonment and 15 months of community service. The court also ordered her to forfeit N1 million to the Federal Government within 72 hours.

Mr Yusuf was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, three months of community service and ordered to forfeit N800,000.

Mr Ademola was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, three months of community service and directed to forfeit N700,000 to the Federal Government within 72 hours.

The judge further ordered the convicts to partner with the EFCC in public awareness campaigns on the dangers of indiscriminately selling or sharing personal information with others.