For the second time in recent months, Nigerian military personnel have been accused of assaulting electricity distribution workers over power supply disputes.
According to Vanguard, in the early hours of March 14, 2025, soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s 15th Field Engineers Regiment in Topo Town, Badagry, allegedly stormed the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko Disco) Badagry Injection Substation, abducting two staff members.
The Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan claimed that the soldiers took the Distribution System Operator (DSO) and a Proton Security Officer to their 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 were made to restore power, but the feeder tripped due to excess load.
This incident follows a similar attack by personnel from the Nigerian Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos, on workers of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (Ikeja Electric). That assault, reportedly triggered by the disconnection of power to the base, led to the vandalization of Ikeja Electric’s head office and the brutalization of its staff.
The repeated military interference in electricity distribution has sparked concerns among industry stakeholders, who are urging the government to intervene urgently to prevent further attacks on power sector workers.
