In a shocking incident, soldiers from the 15th Field Engineers Regiment in Badagry allegedly stormed the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko Disco) Badagry Injection Substation on Saturday.
The soldiers abducted two staff members, including the Distribution System Operator (DSO) and a Proton Security Officer, taking them to their barracks where they were brutally beaten before being released at 4 a.m.
According to Sunday Oduntan, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the soldiers’ actions were motivated by a dispute over poor electricity supply to their barracks.
Oduntan emphasized that the soldiers’ Commanding Officer, Lt Col S. Lawan, had been informed of the ongoing Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) upgrade in Agbara, which was the cause of the power disruption.
This incident is the second reported case of military interference in the power sector in recent months.
Previously, personnel from the Nigerian Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos, attacked Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (Ikeja Electric) workers, vandalizing their head office and brutalizing staff over a power disconnection issue.
The repeated military interference in electricity distribution has raised concerns among industry stakeholders, who are calling for urgent government intervention to prevent further attacks on power sector workers. The Nigerian government must take swift action to address this disturbing pattern of military aggression and ensure the safety and security of power sector employees.