By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

Birnin Kebbi, the capital of Kebbi State and adjourning towns were thrown into confusion Thursday night, following the explosion from the Electricity Transmission Station that supplies electricity to parts of Nigeria and Republic of Niger.

Eyewitnesses residing around the Electricity Transmission Station inside the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in the heart of Birnin Kebbi, narrated their ordeals on Friday 16 September, 2023.

The explosion occurred few hours after restoration of the collapsed National Grid at Oshogbo, Osun State.

Hajiya Amina Abdullahi, a resident of Bayan NEPA in Birnin Kebbi, while narrating her ordeal and her family said: “Yesterday (Thursday), there was a power failure said to be as a result of the collapse of the National Grid. It was restored around 7-8pm and went off again around 11pm.

“We just had a loud explosion immediately the light went off, and then we saw lightnings in various colours like rainbow and thunder storm that continued for a long period of time.

“Residents of Gwadangwaji, Alieru Quarters, Bulasawa, Illela Yari and many areas heard the loud blast and rainbow like lightning extended to those areas.

“It’s very devastating experience! We kept receiving called from many people from those areas to know if we are alright.

“We abandoned our homes and fled to Bulasawa for safety with the entire family”, she stated.

Bashar Musa, another resident around Mechanic Village said after sometime, fire fighters from Airport and Federal Fire service and Rayhan arrived.

“Later, as God may have it, heavy rain started between 3-4am, which finally brought the raging fire under control this morning (Friday morning)”, he added.

According to a source in TCN and some other residences, no casualty or destruction of houses and personal property of residents around the real was recorded.

The TCN source who didn’t want his name to be mentioned, said the media will be addressed after ascertaining the level of damage of the transmission station, the transformers supplying electricity to Birnin Kebbi metropolis and its environs as a result of the explosion.

Meanwhile, the Management of Kaduna Electric , in a statement by Abdulazeez Abdullahi, Head Corporate Communications, said TCN are assessing the extent of damage with a view to commence necessary repair works.

He informed electricity customers in parts of Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states that the power outage currently being experienced is as a result of the fire incident that gutted some critical power supply infrastructure at the Transmission Works Centre in Birnin Kebbi, Thursday night.

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