Day of Rage as Air Force Men Unleash Hell on Ikeja Electric over N4bn Debt
All hell was let loose yesterday military personnel from the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos, invaded the headquarters of Ikeja Electric (IE), and allegedly vandalized offices and equipment, assaulting workers in the process.
The fracas, according to reports, arose from the disconnection of the military’s facility over an accumulated N4 billion electricity debt spanning a decade.
The angry personnel, who were demanding the immediate restoration of power to the military facility, it was further reported, seized 15 operational vehicles and some drivers. But the vehicles and drivers were later released when the situation escalated.
In a statement, the electricity distribution company (DisCo) described the unfortunate incident as an outright act of intimidation and lawlessness.
In the statement, Kingsley Okotie, Head of Corporate Communications of Ikeja Electric, recalled how officers of the Air Force Base in Ikeja, who are their customers, invaded their headquarters, beat up staff members, carting away their laptops. He said the military personnel destroyed their corporate headquarters, Oshodi business unit, and other locations that service the Air Force Base.
Okotie stated that despite owing over N4 billion in unpaid electricity bills, the Air Force Base had consistently failed to honour previous agreements for debt servicing.
In addition, Okotie alleged that the Air Force Base obstructed electricity officials from accessing their facility to monitor power usage, thereby bypassing agreed supply limits.
However, the Air Force Base is not the only defaulter as Okotie also fingered the Nigerian Army Cantonment in Ikeja as having faced billing and supply issues previously, but the issues were resolved through dialogue, and an understanding with the electricity provider.
Part of the resolution, the Ikeja Electricity spokesman continued, included the introduction of auto-enclosure equipment and post-paid metering, thus ensuring stable power supply that is now appropriately paid for.
Rather than enter into a similar agreement with the electricity company as the Ikeja Military Cantonment did, Okotie said the Nigerian Air Force Base took a different route, and expected the same result.
Okotie referenced recent media reports credited to the Air Force Base informing about the presence of explosives at the Base, warning that if power wasn’t restored, it could trigger another explosion like the type that rocked Ikeja Cantonment in 2002, resulting in many deaths in Lagos.
Describing such suggestion as ‘blackmail’, Okotie maintained that if the Base energy needs were as critical as claimed, it should have its dedicated power plant rather than relying solely on Ikeja Electric’s supply.
Chairman of the Ikeja Distribution Company, IKEDC, Mr. Kola Adesina, called for a better understanding and more effective communication between the company and the Air Force, describing the violence as unfortunate and needless.
In his reaction, the Air Force AOC in Lagos, Air Vice Marshal Kola Ademuwagun, described the incident as unfortunate. He promised to investigate and sanction any personnel found culpable in the rampage.
The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) condemned the attack on Ikeja Electric’s Corporate Headquarters and Oshodi Business Unit, describing it as “gangsterism” and “unprofessional behaviour.”
In a statement issued by its acting General Secretary, Dominic Igwebike, the NUEE, advised its members to shun work until their safety is guaranteed.
Igwebike said: “We cannot work under brutality, intimidation, and threat to life. If our demands are not met, we will have no choice but to withdraw our services nationwide until we are guaranteed safety and protection at the workplace.”
