Armed military men Thursday morning stormed the Ikeja Electric headquarters, brutalising civilians and destroying the property of the power company.
The power firm had disconnected a logistics base of the Nigerian Air Force for failing to pay a multimillion-naira debt.
The armed officers from the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja, at about 7:40 a.m., invaded the company’s head office at Alausa in Lagos, abducting the Ikeja DisCo CEO Folake Soeta after brutalising the workers.
Another set of military men were reported to have launched an onslaught on IKEDC’s branch in Ago Palace Way, Okota.
NAF and IKEDC could not be immediately reached for comments.
Viral videos captured the armed men, forcing several employees of the power company to go on their knees.
Meanwhile, the police command in Lagos has denied any involvement in the violent raid.
“The police were not involved in that incident. Meanwhile, normalcy has returned to the area, and the police are on the ground to ensure that the restored normalcy is maintained,” Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s spokesman, told Peoples Gazette.
The Sam Ethnan Air Force Base has been without power for two weeks following its disconnection by the energy firm over a multimillion-naira debt. An agreement was reached for NAF to pay IKEDC a monthly sum of ₦60 million to ensure a daily electricity supply of 10 to 12 hours to the base.
However, a reliable source said the prolonged power outage compromised the base’s safety and security and confirmed the base had consistently kept to its part of the bargain.
According to the source, his concern is about the operational warehouse housing high-calibre armaments, which are reportedly at risk due to rising temperatures caused by the failure of the cooling systems.
The source said NAF paid up to N60 million in excess for the bill in November, and there were no returns or any accounting for the balance.
