The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has declared force majeure at its Offa 132kV substation after unidentified gunmen attacked the facility and held personnel hostage.
Workers were reportedly subjected to life-threatening conditions during the siege.
General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed the incident in an official press release issued on Saturday. May, 9.
Early Thursday morning, gunmen forced their way into the station’s control room, disrupting power supply by coercing operators at gunpoint. After forcing the opening of the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders, the attackers demanded a total shutdown of the entire facility.
”The Transmission Company of Nigeria, Osogbo Region, has declared force majeure on its Offa 132 kV Transmission Substation following a robbery incident at the facility. The substation was invaded by heavily armed men who forcefully gained access to the control room and held all personnel on duty hostage at gunpoint.
“The attackers ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 am on Thursday, 7th May 2026. They further demanded a total shutdown of the substation,” Mbah said.
Mbah further noted that the assailants interfered with essential control systems, potentially causing long-term damage to the substation’s operational capacity.
“During the incident, control switches and relay buttons were tampered with, and the 40MVA transformer was opened at approximately 1:07 am,” she stated.
Recovery efforts began immediately, with supply being restored in stages. The 40MVA transformer was back up by 1:13 am, while the Offa and Ojoku feeders were fully operational by 2:15 am.
TCN regrets the incident and remains committed to securing and delivering efficient power supply to all Nigerians.
“TCN 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
