KEY POINTS
- Electricity workers threaten nationwide service withdrawal after alleged assault and abduction of grid staff in Imo.
- Union says the attack highlights rising insecurity around vital power infrastructure.
- NUEE demands swift action from authorities, warning of possible disruptions to electricity supply.
Nigeria’s fragile power sector is bracing for another disruption as the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, has warned it may withdraw its members from duty unless authorities urgently intervene in what it describes as a deeply troubling assault on grid operators in Imo State.
The NUEE said it issued the threat after staff of the Nigerian Independent System Operator were allegedly attacked while carrying out routine duties at the Egbu 132/33kV transmission substation near Owerri.
According to the NUEE, several workers were beaten, held at gunpoint and, in some instances, abducted by unidentified assailants who stormed the facility earlier this month.
NUEE Says Assault on Grid Personnel Signals a Dangerous Escalation in Sectoral Insecurity
In a statement dated 16 November, Dominic Igwebike, acting general secretary of the NUEE, said the organisation had reached a point where silence could no longer be an option.
He noted that the attack not only endangered the lives of trained professionals but also threatened the stability of the national grid, which depends on the continuous presence of operators at transmission nodes across the country.
Igwebike described the ordeal as a shocking violation that underscored the worsening security climate around essential infrastructure.
He said the union expected immediate action from the relevant security agencies, the Ministry of Power and the Transmission Company of Nigeria. Anything short of decisive intervention, he added, would leave the union with little choice but to instruct its members to step away from their posts.
The union argued that grid workers are increasingly exposed to risks in areas with heightened insecurity, yet these employees keep the electricity supply system running under difficult conditions. NUEE maintained that failure to protect them could trigger a wave of service withdrawals that may plunge parts of the country into deeper blackouts.
Igwebike urged the authorities to investigate the attack, secure the release of abducted personnel and provide stronger security at transmission installations. The union said it was prepared to escalate its response should the matter be ignored, stressing that no electricity worker should be expected to perform duties at the risk of their life.
