The Federal Government has warned industries and other electricity consumers against energy theft, meter tampering and manipulation of consumption data, following losses of up to 100 megawatts along the 132kV Ikorodu–Sagamu power corridor.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, issued the warning during a high-level engagement with industrial customers operating along the corridor, one of Nigeria’s major industrial clusters.
The government says technology-based monitoring systems deployed by the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, have since 2024 revealed significant discrepancies between electricity supplied and the energy accounted for by market participants.
By 2026, the discrepancies had become increasingly difficult to reconcile, with losses on the corridor reaching as high as 100MW and reportedly resulting in about ₦120 billion in losses in one year.
Tegbe warned that the government would take firm action against meter tampering, deliberate interference with energy measurement, data manipulation and other forms of energy theft that undermine the power market and deprive it of legitimate revenue.
The Minister said while the government remains committed to providing industries with reliable electricity to support production and investment, consumers must also take responsibility for the energy they use and pay accurately for it.
He directed stakeholders to establish the source of the discrepancies through a transparent, scientific and fair investigation, stressing the need to determine exactly where the unaccounted-for electricity is going.
Tegbe said accountability across the electricity value chain is essential to improving financial discipline and ensuring a sustainable power sector.
The engagement was attended by officials of NISO, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Ikeja Electric, alongside representatives of industries operating along the Ikorodu–Sagamu corridor.