The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has raised alarm over the disappearance of its personnel in Owerri, Imo State, following a violent invasion of transmission facilities by armed operatives allegedly acting on behalf of the Imo State Government.
In a statement released Saturday night, NISO disclosed that the operatives stormed and vandalized the control rooms at the Egbu 132/33kV Transmission Substation after attempting to coerce system operators into granting an unauthorized and illegal outage.
According to the statement, the intruders “forcefully effected a disconnection at gunpoint,” after which all NISO staff on duty were held hostage and compelled to open breakers under duress.
NISO said all attempts to obtain clarification from the Imo State Government had been unsuccessful. However, contact was established with the Chairman of the Imo State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Engr. Bede Okpara, who confirmed awareness of the incident and promised to revert with details. As of the time of filing this report, no official update has been provided, and no state agency has reached out to NISO regarding the safety or whereabouts of the detained personnel.
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“The continued absence of communication on the status of our personnel is a source of serious concern to the NISO management,” the statement read.
Given the escalating risk to personnel safety and the potential threat to the stability of the national grid, the System Operator announced that it will wait until 6:00 p.m. today, 15 November 2025 to determine the fate of the missing staff. If no information is received, NISO said it will disconnect all transmission substations within Owerri from the national grid as a precautionary measure.
