Metro
Again, Soldiers Abduct, Beat Electricity Workers
By Benjamin Abioye
For the second time in as many weeks, military personnel have been accused of assaulting electricity distribution workers due to power supply issues.
On March 14, 2025, soldiers from the 15th Field Engineers Regiment allegedly invaded the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko Disco) Badagry Injection Substation in Topo Town, Badagry. During the incident, two workers were reportedly taken away by the soldiers.
According to Sunday Oduntan, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the soldiers abducted a Distribution System Operator (DSO) and a Proton Security Officer. He stated that the two men were taken to the military barracks, where they were beaten before being released at around 4 a.m.
“Their claim was poor electricity supply to their barracks in the last one week, despite the fact that their Commanding Officer, Lt Col S. Lawan, was duly informed of the ongoing Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) upgrade in Agbara,” Oduntan said.
He further explained that efforts had been made to restore power, but the feeder tripped due to excessive load.
This latest incident comes after a similar attack by personnel from an Air Force base in Ikeja, Lagos. In that case, workers of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (Ikeja Electric) were assaulted after power to the base was disconnected. The attack resulted in vandalism at Ikeja Electric’s head office and physical assaults on its staff.
The repeated involvement of military personnel in electricity disputes has raised concerns among industry stakeholders. Many are now calling on the government to step in and ensure the protection of power sector workers from further attacks.
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