Armed Robbers Invade Offa Transmission Station, TCN Declares Force Majeure
Oru Leonard
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has declared force majeure on the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation in Kwara State following a robbery attack by heavily armed men who invaded the facility and held staff hostage at gunpoint.
According to a statement issued by Ndidi Mbah, the attackers forcefully gained access to the station’s control room in the early hours of Thursday, May 7, 2026, where they compelled operators on duty to shut down critical feeders supplying electricity to parts of the area.
Mbah explained that the armed men ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m. before demanding a total shutdown of the transmission station.
“The station was invaded by heavily armed men who forcefully gained access to the control room and held all personnel on duty hostage at gunpoint,” she stated.
She further disclosed that during the incident, the attackers tampered with control switches and relay buttons, while the station’s 40MVA transformer was opened at about 1:07 a.m.
According to the TCN spokesperson, efforts by technical personnel led to the gradual restoration of the affected facilities shortly after the incident. She said the 40MVA transformer was restored at 1:13 a.m., while the Offa 33kV feeder was restored at 1:14 a.m. and the Ojoku 33kV feeder at 2:15 a.m.
Mbah noted that the company regrets the inconvenience caused by the disruption and reiterated TCN’s commitment to the efficient transmission of bulk electricity to distribution companies’ load centres nationwide.
The incident has raised renewed concerns over the security of critical national infrastructure and the growing threat posed by criminal attacks on power facilities across the country.
