The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) threatened Saturday to sever Owerri from the national power grid by 6:00 pm if Imo State authorities fail to confirm the safety of staff held hostage during a violent raid on a transmission substation, escalating a brazen intrusion blamed on state operatives.
The operational incident report detailed a forceful breach at the Egbu 132/33kV facility, where intruders allegedly acting for the Imo government stormed control rooms, vandalised equipment and coerced operators at gunpoint to execute an unauthorised disconnection.
“Information received from Owerri indicates that state government operatives, allegedly acting on behalf of the Imo State Government, forcefully entered and vandalised the control rooms at the Egbu 132/33kV Transmission Substation in their bid to compel the operators to grant an illegal outage,” the NISO statement read.
It continued: “After forcefully effecting disconnection at gunpoint, all NISO personnel on duty at the affected facilities were held hostage and compelled to open the breakers.”
NISO’s outreach to the state government yielded no response, though Imo Electricity Regulatory Commission chair Engr. Bede Okpara acknowledged awareness and pledged follow-up that never materialised.
“Efforts to reach the Imo State Government for clarification have so far been unsuccessful. However, contact was made with the Chairman, Imo State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Engr. Bede Okpara, who confirmed awareness of the incident and promised to revert with additional information. As of the time of this report, no update has been provided, and no government agency or representative of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission has contacted NISO,” the report stated.
“The continued absence of official communication on the status of our personnel is of serious concern to NISO management. Given the severity of the situation and the danger it poses to the national grid, NISO has resolved to wait until 6:00 p.m. today, 15 November 2025, to establish the whereabouts and safety of the affected staff. If no information is received, all transmission substations within Owerri will be disconnected from the national grid,” it warned.
