Gunmen Storm TCN Substation, Abduct Workers

The Transmission Company of Nigeria has announced that armed attackers invaded the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation in Kwara State, holding workers hostage at gunpoint during the operation.

Following the incident, the company declared force majeure on the facility.

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

According to the statement, the attackers stormed the substation in the early hours of Thursday, forced their way into the control room and compelled officials on duty to shut down key electricity feeders connected to the station.

Mbah explained that the gunmen instructed the operator on duty to disconnect the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders before demanding a complete shutdown of the installation.

“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.

She further disclosed that the assailants interfered with critical operational equipment at the station during the attack.

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

TCN, however, noted that power supply was restored gradually after the incident.

Mbah said the 40MVA transformer was restored at 1:13am, while the Offa 33kV feeder came back on stream at 1:14am. The Ojoku 33kV feeder was subsequently restored at 2:15am.

She added that the company regretted the disruption caused by the incident and reiterated its commitment to efficient power 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 attackers’ decision to shut down the power facility had yet to be determined as of the time of filing this report.