Olayiwola Matthew
The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) has called on the Nigerian Air Force, the military, and the presidency to identify and hold accountable the officers responsible for the brutal attack on Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) staff and journalists at the company’s headquarters in Alausa, Lagos.
The attack, carried out by armed personnel from the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, left multiple individuals injured. ANED has vowed not to relent until justice is served.
Following the assault, the Area Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal AK Ademulegun, visited the IKEDC office later on Thursday, promising an investigation.
However, in an interview on TVC on Friday, Sunday Oduntan, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at ANED, dismissed Ademulegun’s stance, insisting he could not feign ignorance of the incident.
Oduntan, who also serves as the spokesperson for all electricity distribution companies (DisCos), stressed that the Air Force base owes N4.3 billion in electricity debt, with no visible effort to settle it.
“I want to believe we are in a sane country. I still want to believe we are better than we were in 1978 when Fela’s house was invaded. We want to see what the presidency and military authorities will do because, normally, heads must roll,” he said.
Oduntan likened the invasion to a coup against DisCos, calling on political leaders to treat it with the seriousness it deserves.
“For people to leave Ikeja Air Force Base fully armed in trucks, to go somewhere and start beating civilians—making them lie down and repeatedly beating them—someone must pay for this,” he stressed.
He also warned that unless swift action is taken, similar incidents could occur on a larger scale, potentially targeting government institutions.
“This is how coups are planned and executed. When military personnel can sign out vehicles and arms to invade civilians, it is a dangerous precedent. What happened yesterday was a coup against Ikeja Electric. If justice is not served, they will do it again, and in a larger proportion,” Oduntan stated.
He further demanded that all confiscated data, including CCTV recordings, be restored, accusing the military of deliberately taking away evidence to conceal their actions.
“Unless the military authorities act openly and transparently, and unless all culprits are brought to book, we will not back down. The President must react. This is beyond assurances from an AVM after his officers came to brutalise us. We demand full restoration, and we will not accept anything less,” he declared.