TCN Declares Force Majeure on Offa Transmission Station after Gunmen Attack

Stories by Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja 

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

According to the company, the station was invaded by heavily armed men who forcefully gained access to the control room and held all personnel on duty hostage at gunpoint. 

The attackers also ordered the operator on duty to open both the Offa and Ojoku 33kV feeders at exactly 12:45 a.m. on Thursday last week, a statement by the General Manager of  TCN, Ndidi Mba, stated.

Besides, they demanded 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.

The TCN stated that after the operation, 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 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.