The reported attacks on workers of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) by military personnel, particularly soldiers and Air Force officers, over issues relating to power supply to their barracks do not portray the armed forces in a good light. Although the military authorities have sought to debunk the attacks or portray them as insignificant, there were indications that their men in uniform vented anger on the personnel of the DisCos concerned due to power failure to the military settlement.
A spokesman for the military authorities described the incidents as isolated cases that should not be generalised, insisting that the military was law-abiding in its activities. Nevertheless, the soldiers’ action was an abuse of power and privilege that should not be allowed to happen again in a democratic Nigerian environment.
That the assault led to the hospitalisation of two members of staff of one of the affected electricity distribution companies is unfortunate. Security operatives should not indulge in above-the-law operations that threaten the lives or physical well-being of the people that they are, by constitutional responsibility, meant to protect from any harm. It is unacceptable.
According to media reports, some military personnel attacked the offices of two different electricity distribution companies in Lagos State and assaulted the staff members. One incident occurred at the Badagry Injection Substation, where soldiers from the 15th Field Engineers Regiment of the Nigerian Army in Topo town attacked Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) workers in the early hours of March 14, 2025. A few days earlier, there was a similar attack on some staff members of Ikeja Electricity Company by personnel from the Sam Ethnam Air Force Base in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
It was learnt that the military men stormed the Ikeja Disco’s headquarters at Alausa on March 9, 2025, in a military truck and two other vehicles marked OP-MESA. In the EKEDC Badagry incident, the soldiers reportedly took away two staff members who were allegedly tortured. The security men at the company, including officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) fled upon sighting the armed soldiers.
The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) confirmed the incidents, explaining that despite frantic efforts made by the Discos to restore power supply, the feeder kept tripping off due to excessive load. The association lamented the attack emphasising that the Commanding Officer of the barrack, Lt. Col. S. Lawan was officially briefed about an ongoing transmission network upgrade which it said affected the electricity supply to the area for about one week.
The military personnel should have been patient for the DisCos to restore power. It should be noted that the briefing of the commanding officer about the supply challenges the company was battling with following the upgrading of its transmission network was out of the respect that the company has for the military institution, and it was expected that the soldiers would see it as such and be patient with the DisCo to fix the problem and restore supply. Because the invasion occurred after Lt. Col Lawan was briefed, some questions can be asked: Was the commanding officer aware that his men were planning to storm the DisCo, or did he approve the move after being briefed by the EKEDC?
The military personnel should know that fixing some problems in the electricity supply system may take longer time than envisaged. What was required to fix the problem was not violence but either reducing the load on the feeder so that it can be stable and carry whatever voltage is left on it, or outright replacement of the feeder with another one with higher capacity. There were also concerns about huge outstanding electricity bills incurred by the barrack. These issues ought to be treated in a round table, not by force. What needed to be done is what the electricity workers would still have done for light to be restored, no matter the force applied on them or the pressure by the military personnel.
The two incidents should serve as notice to the Minister of Power, electricity distribution companies and all stakeholders in that sector that the stakes are getting higher; and that very poor delivery of service to Nigerians is not only slowing down economic activities, it is also causing undue tension among the populace, and this needs to be checked largely by better performance in power distribution.
While the actions taken by the military men are outlandish and constitute an abuse of power, the authorities should not wait until all Nigerians go into protest over unsatisfactory supply. The military should initiate action to identify and sanction the soldiers involved in the assault incidents.
It is disheartening that more than 60 years after independence, Nigeria can still not effectively manage its electricity architecture to achieve a stable power supply. It was the failure of the government in this regard, due to corruption and bad governance that led to the sale of the nation’s power corporation to private entities that are now managing it in a way that has been adjudged worse than they met it.
All over the country, it is tales of woe caused by a seemingly intractable problem of epileptic power supply despite the frequent increase in tariffs approved by the government. Most of the electricity distribution facilities in the country are in bad shape, breaking down frequently and causing disruption in power supply. In many communities, citizens contribute money to buy transformers and other items used by the Discos to supply electricity to them. The customers are also responsible for the maintenance of these items even though they pay for the electricity they consume. It is highly disappointing.
The military personnel in the country must respect the fundamental human rights of the people while showing their anger about the poor electricity supply. The Discos must wake up to their responsibility of ensuring a steady power supply. They need to invest adequately in facilities that will boost their distribution capacity and achieve stability in power supply.
The government, through its regulatory agencies, needs to ensure that there is a stable power supply in the country. It should ensure that all its offices and institutions, including the military, police and correctional centres, pay the Discos for the electricity they consume because they are no longer owned by the government but by private investors who pay taxes to the government. The companies or their personnel should not be harassed and assaulted under any circumstance. All customers, including the military, should explore normal avenues to express their grievances, if any.
