The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) says it likened Thursday’s military invasion of Ikeja Electric on account of disconnection of energy supply to a coup against power distribution companies in the country.
Sunday Oduntan, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at ANED, disclosed this in an interview on TVC on Friday.
He implored political leaders to treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves.
He said:“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”
According to him, 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 advised 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.
He vowed that ANED will not relent until justice is fully served.
He demanded that all confiscated data, including CCTV recordings, be restored, accusing the military of deliberately taking away evidence to conceal their actions.
He added:“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”.
