The Transmission Company of Nigeria has disclosed that heavily armed men invaded the Offa 132kV Transmission Substation in Kwara State and held workers hostage at gunpoint during the early hours of Thursday.
Following the incident, TCN on Saturday declared force majeure on the Offa transmission substation.
The company made this known in a statement issued by its General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah.
According to the statement, the gunmen forced their way into the control room around 12:45am and ordered the operator on duty to shut down the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders.
The attackers also demanded a total shutdown of the facility while workers on duty were held hostage at gunpoint.
TCN said the armed men tampered with some control switches and relay buttons during the operation, while the 40MVA transformer was shut down at about 1:07am.
However, the company said power supply was gradually restored shortly after the attack.
The 40MVA transformer was restored by 1:13am, while the Offa 33kV feeder came back on at 1:14am. The Ojoku 33kV feeder was later restored at about 2:15am.
TCN expressed regret over the incident and apologised for the inconvenience caused, while reaffirming its commitment to efficient electricity transmission across the country.
The reason behind the attack and shutdown of the substation remains unclear as of the time of filing this report.