The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, has condemned an alleged attack by soldiers of the Nigerian Army on officials of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) in Badagry, Lagos State.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV News from 2:57, Oduntan revealed that armed soldiers raided the EKEDC injection substation in the middle of the night, abducted two officials, and took them to their barracks, where they were severely beaten.
According to him, the attack took place on March 14, 2024, at exactly 1a.m. He explained that despite prior notifications about an ongoing power system upgrade by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), soldiers from the 15 Field Engineers Regiment stormed the substation, allegedly in retaliation for a power outage affecting the Topo Military Barracks and surrounding areas.
The victims were reportedly held captive for four hours before being released at 5:00 a.m. The EKEDC management was only alerted after the injured officials managed to contact their head office.
Oduntan emphasized that the power outage was not the fault of the electricity distribution company, as TCN was carrying out upgrades to improve supply in Lagos and other parts of the country. He condemned the military’s actions, describing them as an act of lawlessness.
This attack follows a similar incident involving officers of the Nigerian Air Force, who recently stormed the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) office in Alausa, Lagos, over unpaid electricity bills.
Oduntan called on the federal government and military authorities to investigate the growing trend of attacks on power distribution companies, warning that such actions could discourage foreign investment in Nigeria’s power sector.
In his words; “On the night of the 14th of March, at exactly 1:00 a.m., soldiers from that barracks, 15 Field Engineers Regiment, Badagry, went to our injection substation. Unfortunately, we do not have video footage or security cameras there. Now we are learning a big and bitter lesson, even though installing cameras will cost more money. The injection substation is just a small building. We have a DSO, that’s a Distribution Substation Officer who is responsible for turning the power supply on or off when directives come from TCN. He was there with a security officer from a private security company.”
“The soldiers grabbed them, abducted them from that place at 1:00 a.m., seized their phones, and took them to their barracks. They inflicted injuries on them after beating them and subjecting them to all sorts of treatment. After holding them captive for hours, they brought them back to the office at 5:00 a.m. It was only at that point that they could inform the head office, and that was how we knew about it. It was a night raid carried out in a very unfortunate way.”