March 10, (THEWILL) – A few days ago, Lagos residents woke up to the news of an invasion of the head office of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, in Alausa, Ikeja by some armed personnel from the Sam Etinan Air Force Base.
Reports claimed that the troops arrived in the premises of IKEDC at some minutes past seven in the morning and straight away, started beating up the workers and vandalising property belonging to the company.
Many workers at the electricity distribution company managed to escape the invasion and resulting brutality by running away from the premises. Others sustained various injuries, had their cell phones and other personal belongings confiscated by the invaders.
But a group of journalists who had gathered around the vicinity of IKEDC for a different purpose were not spared by the attackers who immediately pounced on them without questions and brutalised.
About 15 injured victims on the whole, mostly workers of the company, are still in hospital receiving treatment and cannot resume work yet, partly for fear of being assaulted again.
The attack brings back sad memories of the past, of similar events that took place during the military era in governance in Nigeria, a period characterised by impunity, recklessness and brutality.
Ikeja Electric allegedly incurred the wrath of the military because it dared disconnect power supply to the air force base for owing the company a debt of over N4 billion in electricity bills for seven years. But the company claimed the military had failed to address the issue, despite repeated efforts to draw its attention to it.
In a meeting held after the attack, the Air Force authority gave the impression that its immediate concern was to prevent the possible explosion of bombs in its care due to heat generated by lack of electricity supply from IKEDC.
THEWILL considers this a flimsy excuse. We believe that whatever might have happened to trigger an unnecessarily barbaric display from the military, such as Nigeria’s have just witnessed, there is no justification for any organisation to resort to unconstitutional means of seeking redress for any wrong done to it.
What the Air Force did to IKEDC was by all means unjustified and at the same time, tantamount to a terrorist attack, the stuff that can only be expected from an organisation like Boko Haram.
Thankfully, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has condemned the attack and urged the Air Force authority to address the matter urgently.
A full-scale invasion of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company was certainly not the most sensible way for the military to resolve its problem with the electricity distribution company. It could have gone to court to obtain an exparte motion and then order IKEDC to restore power supply to Sam Etinan Air Force Base so that it can continue to perform its lawful duties.
Apart from settling the outstanding debt owed IKEDC, the Air Force needs to pay compensation to the victims of the barbaric behaviour of its rampaging personnel.
During the meeting with the management of Ikeja Electric, the Air Force authority promised to institute an investigation into the attack. While we await the outcome of the investigation, we would like the Nigerian military in its entirety to consider undertaking a reorientation of its personnel on the need to constantly maintain a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship with other institutions, private or public.
