The Ikeja Electric (IE) headquarters in Lagos was reportedly attacked by personnel of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) following the disconnection of power to a NAF facility due to unpaid electricity bills.
Eyewitnesses say that the attack took place in the early hours of Thursday, when a group of uniformed Air Force officers arrived at the Ikeja Electric premises, demanding that power be immediately restored to their base. When their demands were not met, they forcibly entered the premises, damaging property and causing chaos inside the building.
During the attack at the IE headquarters in Alausa, the officers allegedly searched for Ikeja Electric’s Chief Executive Officer, Folake Soetan. Once they found her, she was reportedly physically assaulted and taken away in a vehicle. The extent of her injuries remains unclear, but sources later indicated that she was released following intervention from security personnel.
In response to the incident, Ikeja Electric’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kingsley Okotie, provided some clarification regarding the disconnection. He explained that the disconnection of the NAF base was not solely due to non-payment but also related to operational issues, including safety concerns for Ikeja Electric staff. “The level of hostility within the barracks towards our staff is high, and we’ve faced harassment incidents. We cannot work under such conditions,” Okotie said.
The conflict arose from Ikeja Electric disconnecting power to the Nigerian Air Force base due to outstanding electricity bills. It was initially agreed that the NAF would pay N60 million monthly in exchange for 10 to 12 hours of electricity per day. However, despite some payments, a significant debt remains unpaid. The power outage has raised security concerns, with officials stressing the importance of reliable electricity for national security operations.
Both Ikeja Electric and the Nigerian Air Force declined to comment on the incident when contacted by reporters.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has been working on plans to regularize electricity tariffs to improve efficiency and reliability in the sector. This includes implementing cost-reflective tariffs for customers in higher tariff bands to help sustain the power system.
