The Transmission Company of Nigeria has reported that heavily armed men invaded the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation in Kwara State on Thursday morning and held workers hostage at gunpoint, leading the company to declare force majeure on the facility.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, TCN disclosed that the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when the attackers forced their way into the control room and compelled operators to shut down critical feeders supplying electricity from the station.
The armed men ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders before demanding a total shutdown of the substation.
“During the incident, control switches and relay buttons were tampered with, and the 40MVA transformer was opened at approximately 1:07 a.m.,” Mbah said.
The company stated that supply was gradually restored shortly after the incident. The 40MVA transformer was restored at 1:13 a.m., the Offa 33kV feeder was restored at 1:14 a.m., and the Ojoku 33kV feeder was restored at 2:15 a.m.
TCN regretted the inconvenience caused by the attack and reaffirmed its commitment to efficient electricity transmission nationwide. It could not be immediately ascertained why the gunmen wanted the power station shut down.
