Lagos community in rage as suspected Ikeja Electric staff burgle power station

As Nigerians struggle to survive the hardship caused by redesigned Naira notes and swap policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the situation has been further worsened for the residents of a part of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), under Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The residents, who spread across six streets, including Aduke Odekunle, Aina, Ambali, Banjo Owoyele, Morenike and Wole Bamiduro have been groaning under pains and anguish as families now live under darkness, with social and economic activities totally collapsed and paralysed, as their power substation (Aina 2) has since been burgled by suspected experts.

When the criminals gained entrance into the substation, they removed the four power supply cables from the transformer and took them away.

The community leader, who preferred being anonymous, narrated that the ugly incident happened between last week Thursday and the midnight of the next day.

According to the community leader, on that fateful Thursday, four technical staff of Ikeja Electric at Olayiwola, new Oko Oba (Fagba) undertaking office came to the community as they routinely do and headed to the point they usually collect the key to access the power substation. The officials who visited in the morning claimed that they wanted to cut grass inside the power house.

On the following day (Friday) morning, residents in the affected streets suddenly observed that the neighbouring streets they share power feeder with had power supply, but there was none in their streets. They immediately suspected something might have gone wrong, and visited the substation.

It was during the visit they observed that the station had been burgled and that the supply cables had been removed and taken away!

Immediately after, a formal complaint was made at the Ebenezer, Ijaiye Police Station. The community leaders were asked to make statements. The case was subsequently reported at the Olayiwola undertaking office.

Then, the community was promised that the Ikeja Electric officials would visit the community the following week, specifically on Monday.

On that Monday, some youths and their leaders visited a former Ojokoro LCDA chairman to report and discuss the social and economic effects of the power outage, and the security threat the situation posed to the community. They also explained to the ex-LCDA boss how enraged the youths were and their resolve to stage protests against the injustice meted out to the community and residents.

The former Chairman appealed to the youth, urging them to report the incident to both the security agency and Ikeja Electric.

The youth and and the community leaders immediately headed to the undertaking office for a meeting with the Technical Manager, who they met in company of one of his colleagues, simply known as Chuks.

Chuks said that, while the internal investigation was ongoing, he was already engaging the Technical Manager on how another cables would be sourced and fixed for the community, subject to availability of the stolen materials.

On the same day, the community leaders and youth reported at Ebenezer Police station. They met the Manager in charge of vandalization at Jankara Business office of Ikeja Electric, who had been invited by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO). The community leader recalled that the the Manager attempted to absolve the accused technical staff, who went into the power house the previous week. Enraged, the DPO directed that the four staff who were in the community the previous week should be produced and made to report at the station.

However, on Tuesday, 14 February, Ikeja Electric made available only one out of four staff, saying the others were on leave. The only staff who reported at the station is being for investigation.

Later on Tuesday, repeated calls made to Chuks to have update on steps taken so far by Ikeja Electric were snubbed.

Sources say the Ebenezer DPO has detailed an officer to visit the substation for on-spot assessment and preliminary investigation.

The residents however continue to express their agonies and frustration on the havocs the blackout has wrecked on homes, businesses and the community in general.