Latest data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that 33 people lost their lives, while another 33 sustained varying degrees of injuries in power-related accidents across the country in the third quarter of 2025.
According to NERC’s Q3 2025 report, a total of 57 electricity-related accidents were recorded nationwide during the period under review.
The incidents were spread across several electricity distribution zones, with the Ikeja and Kano electricity distribution areas recording the highest number of accidents, reporting 10 cases each. In the Ikeja zone, six people were injured and four lost their lives, while Kano recorded six fatalities and four injuries.
Other distribution areas, including Abuja, Jos, Aba, Port Harcourt, Enugu, and Yola, also recorded incidents, while Eko, Kaduna, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) featured prominently in the report. Many of the accidents resulted in either severe injuries, fatalities, or both.
NERC identified unsafe acts and hazardous conditions as the leading causes of injuries and joint-highest contributors to fatalities during the quarter. Wire snaps emerged as one of the deadliest hazards, accounting for 10 deaths and seven injuries.
In total, unsafe practices and conditions were responsible for 10 fatalities and 18 injuries, highlighting concerns over human error, weak safety culture, and inadequate enforcement of safety standards by electricity distribution companies.
Illegal or unauthorised access to electricity installations also contributed to the casualty figures, resulting in two deaths and three injuries. Vandalism, though accounting for fewer incidents, still led to two fatalities during the quarter.
The report further noted that the TCN recorded four cases of damage to property and infrastructure arising from explosions, fire outbreaks, or acts of vandalism.
NERC said it initiated investigations into all reported accidents and indicated that appropriate regulatory actions would be enforced where necessary.
The regulator added that it organised periodic health and safety managers’ meetings to improve safety performance across the power sector. These meetings bring together safety officers from electricity companies to review incident reports, share lessons learned, and identify areas requiring urgent intervention.
During the quarter, NERC disclosed that it supervised the successful conclusion of two compensation negotiations between electricity companies and families of accident victims.
A comparison with the previous quarter showed mixed results. In Q2 2025, 60 accidents were reported, resulting in 38 fatalities and 19 injuries.
“Relative to 2025/Q2, the number of accidents decreased from 60 to 57, the number of fatalities reduced from 38 to 33, but the number of injuries increased from 19 to 33,” the report stated.
NERC also noted that all accidents recorded in Q3 2025 occurred at the distribution level, with no incidents reported by the TCN or generation companies.
“This quarter continues the trend of the distribution sub-segment being the biggest driver of safety accidents in the sector,” the commission said, adding that distribution companies accounted for over 90 per cent of recorded accidents in recent quarters.
