The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has threatened to disconnect all transmission substations within Owerri, Imo State, from the national grid, following an earlier incident with its staff in the state.
NISO made the threat in a statement made available to TheFact Daily on Saturday.
According to the Operator, Information received from Owerri indicated that the state government operatives allegedly acting on behalf of the Imo State Government forcefully entered and vandalized the control rooms at the Egbu 132/33kV Transmission Substation in their bid to force the Operators to grant illegal outage.
It explained that after forcefully effecting disconnection at gun point, all NISO personnel on duty at the affected facilities were held hostage and forced to open the breakers by the operatives.
NISO said 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 indicated he would revert with further
information.
It said as at 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 regarding the matter.
The Operator noted that the continued absence of official communication on the status of its personnel gives the NISO management a serious concern.
It said given the severity of the situation and the danger it poses to the national grid, it has resolved to wait until 6:00 p.m. today, 15th November 2025, to establish the whereabouts and safety of the affected staff and if no information is received, all transmission substations within Owerri will be disconnected from the national
grid.
