7th March 2025
The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors has condemned the Thursday attack on staff and journalists at Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, by men of the Nigerian Air Force and demand that the Nigerian Air Force, the military and the presidency fish out the officers and men of the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, involved in the attack.
The association said it would not relent until justice is served to everyone brutalized by the armed men at IKEDC headquarters in Alausa, Lagos.
After officers and men of the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja invaded the IKEDC and brutalized the staff and journalists, the Area Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshall AK Ademulegun, visited the office later that Thursday and promised to investigate the incident.
IKEDC Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Sunday Oduntan, in an interview on TVC on Friday, said Ademulegun could not feign ignorance of the attack.
Oduntan, who is also the spokesman of all the DisCos said the association would not relent in seeking redress until justice is served on the officers who perpetuated the attack.
He stated that the Ikeja Air Force Base owed IKEDC about N4.3bn, and no attempt is being made to pay the debt.
“I want to believe that we’re in a sane country. I still want to believe that we’re better than we were in 1978 when Fela’s house was invaded. So, we want to see what will happen. We have to see what the presidency will do, and the military authorities too, because normally, heads must roll; not should role, heads must roll.
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“For people to leave Ikeja Air Force Base fully armed in trucks, to go somewhere and start beating civilians; they made them lie down on the floor of the Air Force base, more than a hundred people, and beating them repeatedly, someone must pay for this,” he said.
Oduntan likened the invasion of the IKEDC by armed to a coup against all DisCos, calling on the nation’s political leaders to give this the seriousness it deserves, describing it as a very traumatic experience that has left many sleepless since Thursday when the incident happened..
“What we should begin with now should be the issue of good governance. We should be at a point where no military person should be able to plan anything funny. What they did yesterday for us as DisCos is our coup. I pray they will not do that to the Lagos State Government, the National Assembly, or the Nigerian government. But unless these people are brought out, and we receive justice, I can assure you that they will do it again, and they will do it in a larger proportion. What happened yesterday was a coup against Ikeja Electric.