Armed Men Invade TCN Substation, Hold Workers Hostage in Kwara

Armed Men Invade TCN Substation, Hold Workers Hostage in Kwara
Attackers forced shutdown of critical electricity feeders in Kwara
TCN later restored electricity supply after the overnight incident

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 during an attack in the early hours of Thursday.

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

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the development was confirmed in a statement issued by the General Manager of Public Affairs at TCN, Ndidi Mbah.

According to the statement, the attackers forcefully gained access to the control room of the substation and compelled operators on duty to shut down critical electricity feeders supplying power from the facility.

Mbah explained that the armed men ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders before demanding a complete shutdown of the substation.

“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 statement read.

“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.”

The TCN spokesperson further disclosed that the attackers tampered with major 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 am,” Mbah added.

Despite the disruption, the company said electricity supply was gradually restored shortly after the incident.

According to TCN, the 40MVA transformer was restored at about 1:13 am, while the Offa 33kV feeder was restored at 1:14 am. The Ojoku 33kV feeder was later restored at 2:15 am.

The company apologised for the inconvenience caused by the incident and reiterated 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.