Intelligence reveals transmission line hacking sabotage – Energy Minister

The Energy Minister, Peter Amewu has described the hacking down of a transmission tower as unpatriotic and clear sabotage on the Akufo-Addo Administration.

On a tour of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) transmission tower sites at Tema, the Minister expressed disappointment in the action but assured that the perpetrators if found, will not go unpunished.

He claimed the Ministry has picked up intelligence pointing the development to “complete sabotage and I will not rule out a political motive for the sabotage,” he told Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Top Story.

Workers of GRIDCo reported to the site on Monday only to discover that the pylon had been hacked down.

The bolts and nuts holding one of the pylons together had been removed after what appears to be consistent bathing of portions of it with a corrosive.

This is to soften the metal and make it easy for the bolts and nuts to be removed.

But it is not only one pylon that has been targeted. It appears some other pylons on the site have also been smeared with the substance to make the removal of the bolts easy after some time.

Photographs captured by Joy News show the pylon falling on its side and resting on the others on the site, a development which is likely to affect power supply to most areas in and around Tema.

CEO of GRIDCo, Jonathan Amoako-Baah, who confirmed the incident said they are shocked as to why someone could do that to the country.

Mr Amewu is just as worried. He suspects some people are doing this to tarnish the image of the Akufo-Addo administration, especially at a time when the country has been going through power outages.

“How can human beings do this to our motherland? Any political party that will have some element of association with such activity is not worth being in our country

“We have already detected that chemicals are being put on all the towers along this line. The intention is to destroy them in the future. What will merit someone to do this, we cannot be subjecting our own country to this,” he cried.

He disclosed that an internal Committee has been set at GRIDCo to investigate the issue.

The Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police and National Security are also conducting separate investigations into the matter to help apprehend the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, security at all GRIDCo installation sites across the country is being beefed up to forestall similar occurrences from happening.

The corrosive substances are also being washed off the pylons.

Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament, Adam Mutawakilu also condemned the development but wants the scope of the investigations to be widened.

He criticised the Minister for alleging political sabotage when there is no proof to confirm his claims.

“The Minority condemns it in no uncertain terms and in looking at, I prefer that we do so in a non-political manner because the moment you try bringing in political issues, it turns out to be something else.

“And I want to believe that the issue of not ruling out political sabotage it is not the minister who is supposed to say it. I thought he would have left it to the investigators for them to come out with those who have caused it after their investigations,” he said.

Source: Myjoy