Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
In the early hours of Thursday, May 7, 2026, a team of heavily armed men breached the perimeter of the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation in Kwara State, forced their way into the control room and held all personnel on duty at gunpoint, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said on Saturday, May 9. The attackers, whose motive remains unknown, ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m. and then demanded a total shutdown of the station.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by TCN’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, the gunmen tampered with control switches and relay buttons during the hostage situation and opened the substation’s 40MVA transformer at about 1:07 a.m. The company described the incident as a robbery attack, but acknowledged that the clear goal of the assailants was to force a complete outage of the transmission facility. The substation, located along the Osogbo‑Ilorin transmission corridor, is a key node supplying bulk electricity to distribution centres serving large parts of Kwara State and adjoining areas.
Mbah disclosed that the company had immediately declared force majeure on the Offa 132kV substation following the incident. The legal declaration, commonly used in the energy sector, relieves TCN of liability for supply disruptions caused by events beyond its reasonable control. “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 reads. “The attackers ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, 7th May 2026. They further demanded a total shutdown of the substation.”`
Though the facility was compromised, TCN said emergency restoration efforts began as soon as the assailants fled the site. The 40MVA transformer was brought back online at 1:13 a.m., the Offa 33kV feeder followed at 1:14 a.m., and the last feeder, Ojoku 33kV, was restored at 2:15 a.m. While the impact was localised and supply was largely restored within a short window, the attack nonetheless caused a spike in anxiety among energy stakeholders, many of whom are already grappling with persistent vandalism and sabotage of electricity infrastructure.
The security of transmission substations has remained a chronic concern. Nigeria’s power grid is often described as fragile, and each assault on a key node can trigger cascading blackouts. In recent years, the TCN has consistently raised alarms about the vulnerability of its assets, with several substations experiencing theft of equipment, cable vandalism, and outright sabotage. Thursday’s hostage situation, however, stands apart from routine vandalism, given the precision of the assault, the use of firearms and the coordinated management of the operators.
The Kwara State Police Command has not yet issued an official statement on the recovery of any suspect, nor has it identified a motive for the attack. Sources within security circles told Stone Reporters News that investigators are examining whether the incursion was part of a broader plot to destabilise power supply ahead of the peak dry season or whether it was a sophisticated robbery disguised as a hostage operation. No arrests had been announced as of the time of this report, and no group has claimed responsibility.
The TCN apologised to electricity customers affected by the brief disruption. “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. The company also restated its commitment to safeguarding transmission infrastructure, though it did not announce any immediate security upgrades.
The assault has drawn sharp reaction from the Organised Private Sector, with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria warning that the growing audacity of criminal groups targeting power infrastructure threatens economic recovery efforts. Energy lawyers and risk analysts have pointed out that the use of force majeure by TCN, while legally sound, also implicitly underscores how vulnerable the national grid remains to any determined, small‑scale armed group.
As of Sunday, May 10, no further details have emerged about the identity of the attackers or the condition of the workers who were held hostage. It is unclear whether they have received any trauma counselling or are still on duty. The incident, however, has left a troubling question hanging over the energy sector: if a handful of armed men can overrun a transmission station and dictate its operations at gunpoint, what does that say about the state of internal security for national infrastructure? Until the police or military provide answers, that question will continue to echo through the corridors of the TCN and beyond.
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