The Federal Government has launched a probe into massive energy theft along the 132kV Ikorodu-Sagamu industrial corridor, where unaccounted electricity losses have reportedly risen to 100 megawatts, costing the Nigerian electricity market an estimated ₦120 billion annually.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, announced the intervention at a high-level meeting with industrial operators, key electricity market participants and energy regulators in Lagos.
Tegbe ordered a transparent and science-based investigation into the wide gap between the volume of electricity transmitted along the industrial corridor and the energy officially billed and accounted for by distribution companies.
The minister said the Ikorodu-Sagamu axis had grown into one of Nigeria’s major industrial and manufacturing hubs, with several large companies and heavy electricity consumers operating within the corridor.
According to him, improved monitoring through technological tools deployed by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) exposed disturbing loading anomalies and significant commercial losses across the network.
He said the Federal Government remained committed to supporting industrial growth under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and assured manufacturers of efforts to sustain reliable electricity supply.
However, Tegbe stressed that improved power supply must be matched with strict accountability and accurate billing.
The minister warned that the government would no longer tolerate meter tampering, deliberate manipulation of electricity data or interference with power infrastructure.
“Every consumer must remain accountable for the actual power consumed,” he said.
Tegbe charged all stakeholders along the corridor to cooperate fully with technical investigators as the government moves to identify the source of the discrepancies and plug revenue leakages.
He said the investigation was necessary to safeguard the financial stability of the electricity market and protect the national grid.
The crackdown is expected to focus on the sharp difference between electricity supplied to the Ikorodu-Sagamu industrial corridor and the energy officially captured and billed within the distribution network.
