The Electrical energy Distribution Corporate has cried out over the invasion of its company headquarters via males and officials of the Nigerian Breeze Power from the Sam Ethnan Breeze Power Bottom in Ikeja, Lagos Condition on Thursday.
The warriors who additionally brutalised a correspondent of PUNCH Newspapers, Dare Olawin, and alternative newshounds who have been at the premises for an task all the way through their length, invaded the premises at the expiration of the warning given to the Disco to reconnect their energy provide which was once disconnected on account of a debt of N4bn.
PUNCH Metro studies that they stormed the Disco headquarters reverse MITV, Ikeja, Lagos round 7:40 am loaded in an army truck, two OP-MESA cars, and others.
The newshounds have been to collect at Ikeja to journey to Adiyan in Ogun Condition to unveil a sun challenge.
Our correspondent, along a TVC cameraman and one alternative reporter, was once sighted in a coaster bus via the army males.
They have been dragged out to be overwhelmed blue and cloudy and made to take a seat at the ground.
Our correspondent’s telephones and a white energy deposit have been taken away via the lads who threatened to kill him if he attempted to mention anything else.
A tripod belonging to the TVC cameraman and a reminiscence card have been additionally taken away via the lads. Our correspondent sustained an shock in his left visible within the procedure.
The Breeze Power operatives led via a lady and a few males in mufti seized the place of job of Ikeja Electrical for over one and a part hours, beating the employees and alternative family sighted at the premises.
The roads well-known to the place of job have been cancelled, giving the army males a farmland era to molest the ones inside the premises of Ikeja Electrical.
They left the place of job with engineers and drivers who they stated can be pressured to reconnect their barracks to the nationwide grid.
The spokesman for the IKEDC, Kingsley Okotie, stated the corporate needed to disconnect the feeder supplying electrical energy to the bottom next its electrical energy expenses accrued to N4bn.
Okotie defined how the lads within the army camouflage vandalised doorways, CCTV cameras, and alternative devices within the place of job.
“In my younger grownup presen, I witnessed one thing that I had by no means perceivable lately via males of the Nigeria Breeze Power from Sam Ethnan Bottom, Ikeja, who’re our shoppers. As a result of the electrical energy provide and problems with indebtedness, they invaded us, beat us up, and carted away our computers. They destroyed all the company headquarters of our industry, in addition to our Oshodi place of job, the industry unit, and alternative places round Oshodi that carrier the Breeze Power bottom.
“It’s on document that within the latter 10 years, their invoice has accrued to over N4bn. I repeat, N4bn. And preparations for fee when it comes to even servicing their electrical energy invoice were abortive.
“They feel that it’s their entitlement to use electricity for free. And we have reminded them several times that we don’t get government subvention in this organisation. It’s a privatised entity. As such, it is clear that most of the things that appear to be inefficiencies on our part are because of people like the Air Force base and the debt they owe the business. Because if that kind of debt is owed by just one institution, imagine how much that would have gone in terms of relief to places where they need transformers and other facilities to improve supply,” Okotie stated.
In step with him, rather of coming to the desk, as they’d at all times achieved with them, they resorted to assaults.
Okotie disclosed that “sometime in October, the AOC Ademulegun intervened on behalf of the base commander, and we had some level of agreements, which we implemented. But what they tactically did was to deny our technicians access to the facility so that they could manipulate that installation within the base. So, the regulated hours that they would get supplied based on what they could pay for was exceeded. That is an infraction. That is unlawful. That is criminal.”
The spokesperson disclosed that the Breeze Power had on Wednesday written the corporate, ordering it to reconnect the bottom inside 48 hours or face the repercussions.
“They got here to assault us next writing us slightly the day prior to this, giving us a 48-hour warning to reconnect them. Is that this not more a independence?
“I’m limping now. You noticed them checking my vitals previous. A bundle of family have been brutalised, confused and overwhelmed. Even newshounds who came to visit previous have been severely overwhelmed. A PUNCH reporter Dare Olawin was once brutalised and his telephones have been taken away. A TVC reporter had his tripod, digital camera, and reminiscence card taken away. They left the scene with 15 of our operational cars and kidnapped them at gunpoint with the drivers. The place they marched them to, we didn’t know.
“When we started escalating the matter a few minutes later, they returned them,” he narrated.
Okotie demanded justice, asking the Well-known of Breeze Team of workers, Breeze Marshal Hassan Abubakar, to assure justice is served
“We would like justice. That is unfair to us as folks. That is unfair to us as Nigerians or even as an organisation this is within the industry of utilities, offering products and services to the family. We’re not cover. As we talk right here now, when we are achieved, it’s simply to eject from this park. A few of us who via our accountability is talking now, I’m positive our lives are at risk.
“So, the Well-known of Breeze Team of workers, please offer protection to me. I’ve a tender society. As a result of your males within the Breeze Power in Ikeja, Sam Ethnan Bottom, are next our lives. They have been asking, who’s the CEO? The place is that madam? They have been asking, who’s the Well-known Technical Officer? Who’s the engineer, Daramola? They got here ready for the family they sought after to shoot. It was once God who stored us.
“Please let the world hear it. Let President Bola Tinubu hear that this is happening at this time in the history of our country. The Divisional Police Officer came earlier, they were harassing her. They asked, ’Who’s DPO?’ Those guys were just so unruly,” he narrated.
Requested if the incident would no longer have an effect on alternative shoppers, he spoke back, “Because it stands now, we pray it doesn’t have an effect on alternative shoppers as a result of we’re accountable as an organisation and we’re in industry to grant electrical energy to our shoppers and the society. On the other hand, they’re on a feeder. That feeder is out. However they don’t seem to be the one ones on that feeder. However that’s the maximum shall we do as a result of they are able to’t let us get admission to their facility to disconnect them. You’ll be able to’t do it. They’ll shoot you. You’ll be able to’t come again alive. So, that feeder is ailing for now and it extra ailing.
“They abducted some of us trying to intimidate us to restore power. They may come back again and that’s why we are sounding like this because that is their usual tactic. But enough is enough!” he warned.
He stated the corporate’s server, supplementary database, and CCTV cameras have been vandalised and brought away.
In step with him, the warriors forcefully needful into places of work together with the IT category and the place of job of the Managing Director, destroying diverse devices.
Doorways to places of work have been additionally destroyed time computer systems, telephones, and CCTV devices have been carted away.
In the meantime, the Nationwide Affiliation of Nigerian Scholars has described the assault on our correspondent as an assault on Nigeria’s independence, describing the advance as the peak of irresponsibility.
The scholars’ frame made this identified via a observation signed via its Nationwide Society Family members Officer, Samson Adeyemi.
Adeyemi decried the warriors’ show of impunity, pronouncing, “This is one of the reasons why the worst of democracy will be better than the best of a military rule. This attack is best described as an attack on Nigeria’s democracy.”
He added, “Army bosses on the Sam Ethnan Breeze Power can’t let us know they weren’t conscious about the impunity and display of dearth of prerequisite coaching to be army group of workers. You will have to at all times believe the ideas of alternative nations ahead of performing unprofessionally. If a PUNCHman might be overwhelmed for disagree simply reason why, what can u no longer do to an regular Nigerian?
“This is unacceptable as we demand a thorough investigation into the matter. How come the barracks become indebted? Mr President, please don’t close your eyes to this. This is a misrepresentation of what President Bola Tinubu’s government stands for.”
Resources inside the Sam Ethnan Breeze Power bottom informed our correspondent on status of anonymity that following the disconnection, some govern officials of the barracks illegally hooked up to the airport electrical energy feeders.
When contacted over the phone in regards to the incident, the Nigerian Breeze Power spokesperson, Breeze Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa, informed our correspondent that the topic was once being addressed and that an respectable observation can be spared to PUNCH Metro.
“Thanks for your concern. The matter is being addressed. Expect a statement soon,” he mentioned.
As of the occasion this record was once filed, Akinboyewa had but to loose the observation.
A PUNCH Metro record on Tuesday clear how citizens of the Breeze Power Bottom persisted a 12-day loadshedding that disrupted companies and led to a vile H2O deficit inside the barracks.
A related incident was once reported on July 25, 2024, when each army group of workers and civilians residing at the bottom voiced their frustration over the disconnection in their energy provide.