March 10, (THEWILL) – Just a few days in the past, Lagos residents woke as much as the information of an invasion of the top workplace of the Ikeja Electrical energy Distribution Firm, IKEDC, in Alausa, Ikeja by some armed personnel from the Sam Etinan Air Pressure Base.
Experiences claimed that the troops arrived within the premises of IKEDC at some minutes previous seven within the morning and right away, began beating up the employees and vandalising property belonging to the corporate.
Many staff on the electrical energy distribution firm managed to flee the invasion and ensuing brutality by operating away from the premises. Others sustained varied accidents, had their cell telephones and different private belongings confiscated by the invaders.
However a gaggle of journalists who had gathered across the neighborhood of IKEDC for a distinct function weren’t spared by the attackers who instantly pounced on them with out questions and brutalised.
About 15 injured victims on the entire, principally staff of the corporate, are nonetheless in hospital receiving remedy and can’t resume work but, partly for worry of being assaulted once more.
The assault brings again unhappy reminiscences of the previous, of comparable occasions that befell in the course of the army period in governance in Nigeria, a interval characterised by impunity, recklessness and brutality.
Ikeja Electrical allegedly incurred the wrath of the army as a result of it dared disconnect energy provide to the air drive base for owing the corporate a debt of over N4 billion in electrical energy payments for seven years. However the firm claimed the army had failed to deal with the difficulty, regardless of repeated efforts to attract its consideration to it.
In a gathering held after the assault, the Air Pressure authority appeared that its instant concern was to stop the attainable explosion of bombs in its care on account of warmth generated by lack of electrical energy provide from IKEDC.
THEWILL considers this a flimsy excuse. We imagine that no matter may need occurred to set off an unnecessarily barbaric show from the army, comparable to Nigeria’s have simply witnessed, there is no such thing as a justification for any organisation to resort to unconstitutional technique of looking for redress for any unsuitable accomplished to it.
What the Air Pressure did to IKEDC was by all means unjustified and on the similar time, tantamount to a terrorist assault, the stuff that may solely be anticipated from an organisation like Boko Haram.
Fortunately, Minister of Energy, Adebayo Adelabu has condemned the assault and urged the Air Pressure authority to deal with the matter urgently.
A full-scale invasion of Ikeja Electrical energy Distribution Firm was actually not probably the most smart method for the army to resolve its downside with the electrical energy distribution firm. It might have gone to court docket to acquire an exparte movement after which order IKEDC to revive energy provide to Sam Etinan Air Pressure Base in order that it will possibly proceed to carry out its lawful duties.
Aside from settling the excellent debt owed IKEDC, the Air Pressure must pay compensation to the victims of the barbaric behaviour of its rampaging personnel.
Throughout the assembly with the administration of Ikeja Electrical, the Air Pressure authority promised to institute an investigation into the assault. Whereas we await the result of the investigation, we wish the Nigerian army in its entirety to think about enterprise a reorientation of its personnel on the necessity to consistently keep a wholesome and mutually useful relationship with different establishments, non-public or public.
