Armed robbers invade Offa transmission station, TCN declares force majeure

Business, Crime Diary

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has declared force majeure on the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation following a robbery incident at the facility.

According to the company, the substation, located in Offa, was invaded by heavily armed men who reportedly forced their way into the control room and held personnel on duty hostage at gunpoint.

In a statement issued by General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the attackers allegedly ordered the operator on duty to shut down both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

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The assailants were also said to have demanded a total shutdown of the substation. During the incident, some control switches and relay buttons were reportedly tampered with, while the 40MVA transformer was shut down at about 1:07 a.m.

TCN disclosed that efforts were immediately made to restore operations after the incident.

According to the company, 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 2:15 a.m.

The company expressed regret over the inconvenience caused by the incident and reaffirmed 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 said.