May 08, (THEWILL) — The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has declared force majeure on the Offa 132kV transmission substation following a robbery incident, involving heavily armed men, who invaded the facility and temporarily disrupted operations.
In a statement signed by TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the company disclosed that the attackers forcefully gained access to the control room of the substation located in Offa, Kwara State, where personnel on duty were held hostage at gunpoint.
According to Mbah, the armed men ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026, while also demanding a total shutdown of the transmission station.
TCN revealed that during the incident, control switches and relay buttons within the substation were tampered with, leading to the opening of the 40MVA transformer at about 1:07 a.m.
Despite the attack, the company said its technical personnel acted swiftly to restore operations and stabilise the electricity supply to affected areas.
The statement noted that the 40MVA transformer was successfully restored at 1:13 a.m., while the Offa 33kV feeder was restored one minute later at 1:14 a.m. The Ojoku 33kV feeder was subsequently restored at 2:15 a.m.
TCN expressed regret over the temporary disruption caused by the incident and reassured electricity consumers and distribution companies of its continued commitment to efficient power transmission nationwide.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria regrets the inconvenience this incident may have caused and reaffirms its mandate to transmit bulk electricity efficiently to distribution companies’ load centres across the country”, the statement added.
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