Gunmen invade TCN substation in Kwara, hold workers hostage

The Transmission Company of Nigeria has disclosed that heavily armed men invaded the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation in Kwara State and held workers hostage at gunpoint.

 

Following the incident, the company declared force majeure on the Offa 132kV substation.

 

TCN made this known in a statement issued on Saturday by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah.

 

According to the statement, the attack occurred in the early hours of Thursday when the gunmen forced their way into the control room and compelled operators to shut down critical electricity feeders.

 

“The Transmission Company of Nigeria, Osogbo Region, has declared force majeure on its Offa 132kV 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 a.m. on Thursday, 7th May 2026. They further demanded a total shutdown of the substation,” Mbah stated.

 

She added that the attackers tampered with critical control equipment during the operation.

 

“During the incident, control switches and relay buttons were tampered with, and the 40MVA transformer was opened at approximately 1:07 a.m.,” she said.

 

According to TCN, electricity supply was gradually restored shortly after the incident.

 

Mbah explained that the 40MVA transformer was restored at 1:13 a.m., while the Offa 33kV feeder and Ojoku 33kV feeder were restored at 1:14 a.m. and 2:15 a.m. respectively.

 

The company apologised for the disruption caused by the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to efficient electricity transmission across the country.

 

“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.

 

The motive behind the attack could not be immediately established.