Damaturu – In response to the ongoing issue of vandals damaging electricity towers, the Yobe State Government has resorted to spiritual measures. Babagana Kyari, the Special Adviser to Governor Mai Mala Buni on Religious Affairs, announced the government’s stance during a prayer session held in Damaturu, the state capital.
The vandals’ actions have disrupted the power supply, cutting off Borno and Yobe states from the national grid. In response, Kyari led a group of Muslim clerics in reciting the Holy Quran, offering prayers, and slaughtering cows, seeking divine intervention to punish those responsible for the sabotage.
This spiritual initiative follows Governor Buni’s warning that after the towers were repaired, he would personally lead prayers and Quran recitations against the perpetrators. The Yola Electricity Distribution Company recently reported that the towers were first damaged in December 2023 and then again in February 2024. Both incidents necessitated repairs by the Yobe State Government in collaboration with the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
During the prayer session, Kyari, joined by Muslim clerics and Quranic students, emphasized the need for divine justice. “The prayer session was for Allah to expose and punish the criminals, their sponsors, supporters, and anyone involved in the destruction of the towers. This includes those providing tools, transport, and those who know but refuse to expose them, as well as buyers of the vandalized parts and transformer thieves,” Kyari stated.
The affected towers are part of the Jos-Gombe grid that supplies electricity to Borno and Yobe states. Efforts to reach Mohammed Mamman, the Director General of Media and Press Affairs to Governor Buni, for comments were unsuccessful as phone calls went unanswered.
