Police Siege Plunges Imo Into Total Darkness

Nigeria’s Transpower Electricity Distribution has confirmed a devastating, state-wide power outage, announcing that Imo State was plunged into total darkness following the forceful and violent shutdown of bulk electricity supply. This extraordinary situation unfolded on Saturday morning when operatives, identified by the Disco as armed personnel of the Nigerian Police Force, allegedly invaded the crucial Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) substation at Egbu.

The management of Transpower Electricity Distribution Limited issued an official statement to its customers, confirming the complete disruption. The statement detailed the severe sequence of events: “The management of Transpower Electricity Distribution Limited wishes to inform her esteemed customers in Imo State of a total shutdown of power supply which occurred earlier today, Saturday, 15th November 2025, at about 10.20 am.”

The Disco asserted that the immediate cause of the darkness across the entire state was a physical security breach. According to their account, armed men of the Nigerian Police Force “invaded the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) station at Egbu and assaulted the operator on duty along with other staff present, forcing them to shut down the power supply.” Reports from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), the federal agency responsible for managing the national grid, added horrifying detail to the account, alleging that gun-wielding operatives—identified as “Imo state operatives”—broke into the control rooms in a blatant attempt to “force the operators to grant illegal outage.” NISO claimed their personnel were held hostage, assaulted, and coerced into opening the system breakers at gunpoint, effectively crippling the transmission process and causing the bulk supply disconnection that resulted in the confirmed blackout across Imo State.

This incident, which effectively weaponized a key piece of national infrastructure, has created profound concern over the security of critical assets and the boundaries of state government authority over federal operations. The situation arose shortly after NISO reportedly threatened to disconnect the entire state from the national grid if its abducted and missing workers were not immediately accounted for, stressing that the forceful action and the sustained absence of communication regarding the status of their personnel were sources of serious alarm for the safety of their staff.

Transpower, in its public appeal, urged customers to remain patient, confirming that the company is on standby and “awaiting restoration of supply.” The distribution company assured customers of its commitment to delivering improved services once the supply from the national grid is re-established. However, with the TCN/NISO workers having been forcibly removed, assaulted, and the facility compromised under alleged duress, the duration of the blackout remains highly uncertain. Restoration is contingent upon the swift resolution of the underlying conflict and the safe return of the abducted electricity workers, highlighting the dangerous consequences of inter-agency or governmental disputes over infrastructure control, which directly impact essential services for millions of residents. The police have not yet released an official statement to clarify the reasons behind the invasion or the identity of the operatives involved in the siege on the TCN substation.