Heavily armed men reportedly invaded a transmission facility operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in Offa, Kwara State, forcing workers to shut down electricity feeders at gunpoint.
In a statement issued by the company’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the attackers were said to have stormed the Offa 132kV transmission substation in the early hours of Thursday, May 7, 2026.
According to the statement, the gunmen forcefully entered the control room and held all personnel on duty hostage.
The attackers reportedly instructed the operator on duty to disconnect both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m.
TCN said the assailants also demanded a complete shutdown of the substation.
During the incident, the armed men allegedly tampered with control switches and relay buttons, while the 40MVA transformer at the facility was shut down at about 1:07 a.m.
Following the disruption, TCN declared a force majeure on the affected transmission facility.
The company disclosed that the transformer was restored six minutes later at 1:13 a.m. Electricity supply through the Offa feeder was restored at 1:14 a.m., while the Ojoku feeder was restored at 2:15 a.m.
TCN apologised to electricity customers affected by the disruption and reaffirmed its commitment to transmitting bulk power efficiently to distribution companies across Nigeria.
