NERC: 38 Nigerians Killed, 19 Injured in 60 Electricity-related Incidents in Q2 2025

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja 

Nigeria recorded a sharp rise in power-sector accidents in the second quarter of 2025, reporting 60 separate incidents, which resulted in 38 fatalities and 19 injuries, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The industry statistics released for the three months covering April, May and June, is far higher than the total of 31 accidents, 12 deaths and 14 injuries announced in Q1 2025 by the power sector regulator.

The jump represents a net increase of 29 accidents, 26 deaths and five injuries between the two quarters, prompting the regulator to open investigations and intensify oversight of distribution companies. 

NERC’s quarterly account, which aggregates health and safety returns filed by licence-holders across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), showed that the casualties in Q2 2025 were overwhelmingly concentrated among electricity Distribution Companies (Discos).

The report stated that none of the Generation Companies (GenCos) or the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), recorded human casualties in the quarter as the incidents were almost entirely tied to distribution networks and activities at local level. 

In the same vein, the commission’s breakdown of causes pointed to a familiar pattern, with unsafe acts and conditions accounting for the largest share of fatalities, followed by wire snaps, vandalism and illegal or unauthorised access. 

NERC revealed that 10 fatalities and eight injuries were attributable to unsafe acts/conditions, five fatalities and seven injuries from wire snaps, three fatalities and two injuries from vandalism, and three fatalities with no injuries linked to illegal access. 

The data underlined the recurring hazards of exposed conductors, tampering, illegal connections and the physical dangers of poorly maintained infrastructure which continue to drive fatalities in the power sector.

Besides, NERC’s statistics identified the Discos with the heaviest human toll in Q2. Ibadan and Kano Discos reported 11 and 10 casualties respectively, while Benin, Eko and Jos Discos each recorded five casualties. 

Those five licence areas together accounted for a significant share of the quarter’s total and underscored the regional concentration of risk in pockets where distribution networks are ageing, vandalism and illegal tapping are common, and where safety enforcement is uneven. 

Beyond human casualties, the regulator noted infrastructure damage over the quarter, with the TCN logging 11 cases of property or infrastructure damage resulting from explosions, fire outbreaks or vandalism. It stated that these incidents strain restoration budgets, add to the cost of service, and prolong outages for customers. 

“During the quarter (2025/Q2), none of the Gencos and TCN recorded casualties, whereas all the Discos recorded casualties. Out of the 57 casualties reported in the quarter, the licensees with the highest number of casualties were Ibadan (11), Kano (10), Benin (5), Eko (5) and Jos (5) Discos, which represented 19.30 per cent, 17.54 per cent, 8.77 per cent, 8.77 per cent and 8.77 per cent of the total, respectively.

“As observed in previous quarters, Discos continue to account for the majority of the safety challenges experienced in NESI. Cumulatively, they accounted for 100 per cent of casualties recorded in 2025/Q2, having accounted for 92.98 per cent, 93.33 per cent and 100 per cent in 2024/Q3, 2024/Q4 and 2025/Q1, respectively,” the NERC quarterly report said.

To ensure transparency of the settlement process and to help the victim’s family secure fair compensation for losses suffered, the NERC document stated that in Q2/2025, the commission oversaw the successful conclusion of seven compensation negotiations between licensees and families of victims of accidents.

The electricity supply regulator pointed out that it had initiated investigations into reported accidents and will apply sanctions where licensees fall short of their safety obligations.

Regulatory remedies being pushed by NERC, the report said, included stricter monitoring of licensee safety reporting, faster investigation of incidents, and enforcement of licence conditions that require companies to submit monthly health and safety reports. 

The commission said it has also flagged programmes such as Health and Safety Managers’ meetings and directed licence-holders to improve public safety messaging and site security to significantly reduce future occurrences.

Meanwhile, NERC stated that across the quarter, Discos only successfully resolved 1,129 out of the 2,474 complaints that were filed; translating to a resolution rate of 45.63 per cent.

The number of complaints received across all Discos was 227,267, which represented a 10.67 per cent decrease, compared to the 254,404 complaints received in Q1 2025. 

“As in previous quarters, metering, billing and service interruptions were the prevalent issues of customer complaints during the quarter,” the report added.