Air Force Personnel Invade Ikeja Electric Office, Vandalise Property and Assault Staff Over Disconnection

Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel allegedly invaded the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) offices in Lagos on Thursday. They reportedly assaulted staff, vandalised property, and seized company assets.

The attack followed the disconnection of the power supply to Sam Ethnan Air Force Base over an outstanding debt exceeding ₦4 billion. IKEDC spokesperson Kingsley Okotie has confirmed the incident to the media. He said the military personnel destroyed office equipment, stole laptops and phones, and disabled CCTV cameras. He also claimed they took 16 company vehicles, forcing drivers to operate them.

“It happened this morning from the Nigerian Air Force, Sam Ethnan Barracks, Ikeja. They owe us over ₦4 billion, they were disconnected, and this is what we got. They came, they invaded our offices, our CHQ. As I speak with you now, I have a fractured leg. They molested and assaulted our staff. They went away with about 16 of our vehicles, with our drivers driving them at one point”, Okotie told The Cable

“They destroyed all our offices, stole laptops and phones, destroyed all our IT infrastructure, blinded all the CCTV cameras. Luckily, they couldn’t arrest the CEO, but they were looking vehemently for her”, he added.

Oseni Rufai further reported that the CEO was locked in the trunk of a car during the harassment. Photos and videos from the scene showed extensive damage, including broken printers and dismantled surveillance systems.

Tensions between IKEDC and the Air Force base have risen since the power supply was disconnected two weeks ago. The Air Force was expected to pay ₦60 million monthly for 10 to 12 hours of daily electricity supply. However, payments had reportedly been inconsistent.

Personnel at the base claimed they had met their financial obligations but still faced prolonged outages. They questioned IKEDC’s billing practices. However, Okotie explained that NAF was billed based on power supplied under the Band-A feeder. He maintained that a substantial debt remained. He also said IKEDC had recommended certain installations to improve supply, but the base leadership had denied access to the work.

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