The Transmission Company of Nigeria has declared force majeure on the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation in Kwara State following a late-night robbery attack by heavily armed men who invaded the facility and temporarily disrupted operations.
According to the company, the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, May 7, 2026, when the attackers forcefully gained entry into the control room of the transmission station and held staff members on duty hostage at gunpoint.
In a statement issued by the General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the attackers reportedly ordered the operator on duty to shut down both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m. The armed men also demanded a complete shutdown of the substation during the operation.
TCN disclosed that the assailants tampered with control switches and relay buttons within the facility, while the station’s 40MVA transformer was opened at approximately 1:07 a.m., leading to a disruption in electricity transmission from the substation.
“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 statement said. “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.”
The company, however, stated that emergency restoration efforts commenced shortly after the attackers left the premises. TCN confirmed that the 40MVA transformer was restored at 1:13 a.m., while the Offa 33kV feeder was restored at 1:14 a.m. The Ojoku 33kV feeder was subsequently restored at about 2:15 a.m.
Although the company did not specify the number of customers affected by the temporary outage, it expressed regret over the disruption caused by the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining stable bulk power transmission to distribution companies nationwide.
