The Nigerian Defense Headquarters (DHQ) has expressed its commitment to supporting the rule of law despite two separate attacks by military personnel on power workers in Lagos State.
A statement from DHQ reports that soldiers attacked Badagry, Lagos, Ragos, and attacked and attacked the substation of Eko Power Distribution Company (EKEDC) that is accusing them of Badagry, Lagos, Ragos, and acquiring power outages.
A similar incident was recorded at Ikeja Power Distribution Company (IKEDC). There, armed Nigerian Air Force officials allegedly attacked the workers after the base was cut due to an unpaid electricity bill.
Criticism of military negligence
In a statement Thursday, Defense Intelligence Director Tukur Gusau criticized newspaper editorials that denounced immunity to the military, describing the report as unfair and unbalanced.
“The attention of the Defense Headquarters has been drawn to the guilt verdict placed on the All Army of Nigeria (AFN) by editorials from certain popular newspapers.
“Given the respectful and critical role of the journalism profession for the development of our dear country, it would have been better to check facts from the military class and adhere to professional ethics before feeling guilty in the military,” Major General Gusau said.
Disregarding the soldiers’ attacks, Gusou dismissed his claim as being exaggerated, arguing that the reported cases were incidents in Lagos and should not be generalized.
“It’s not fair enough to paint to the public, as if this were a daily occurrence across the country,” he said.
The military has internal disciplinary mechanisms, including military police and intelligence corps, and is investigating and sanctioning false personnel.
“AFN will have the former standby courts in every formation and test the wrong staff in their resolve to ensure zero tolerance against non-discipline,” he said.
Minister condemns the attack
In response to growing concerns, Electric Power Minister Adebayo Adelab condemned the attack and warned that the military should not thwart the operations of electricity distribution companies.
“These attacks on our workers are unacceptable,” Adelab said. “The Nigerian military must respect the rule of law and follow legitimate procedures if there are concerns about power sources. No agency exceeds the law.”
The minister urged security agencies to investigate the incident and ensure that the person responsible is held responsible.
“The government is working to improve its electricity supply, but intimidation and violence do not solve the challenges of the sector,” he added.
Ekedc claims workers were attacked
However, Ekedc claimed that staff were attacked and accused by soldiers who attacked the Badagry facility around 1am on Friday.
“The soldiers attacked our office at night. They went to one of our stations in Badagri and picked up two staff members.
He said the soldiers returned during the day, stolen a threat, demanding that their barracks be restored to power.
“Our workers tried to explain that the suspension was negligent and not intentional, but they continued to harass our staff,” he said.
Ekedc has reported the attack to the police and is preparing petitions to the Army Chief of Staff, Minister of Defense and Minister of Power.
“This was becoming a trend as a similar attack happened recently at Ikeja Electric and no one was accountable,” Rasaki said.
The Nigerian military describes the incident as “misunderstanding.”
Nigerian Army Intelligence Director Onyema Nwachukwu dismissed the report of the attack and described the incident as a “misunderstanding” after the fire.
“I contacted the unit to confirm your report. Contrary to what you have, Ekedc staff were not detained by soldiers,” said Nwachukwu, the leading general.
“During the response efforts, there was a slight misconception between the company staff and one of the soldiers, which quickly resolved friendly. Furthermore, I understand that the unit’s leadership and the company’s management maintain a consistent, strong and sincere relationship.
Nwachukwu added that the unit’s commander has established an investigation committee to investigate the cause of the fire.
Patterns of military attacks against electricity workers
The EKEDC incident followed a similar military invasion of the IKEDC facility on March 6th.
Armed Nigerian Air Force (NAF) officials at Sam Ethnan Air Force Base raided IKEDC’s headquarters, attacked staff and journalists who attacked, after the company cut off power to the base of unpaid electricity bills.
Premium Times reported that the Air Force Base owed N4.34 billion as of March 2025.
Despite repeated requests for payment, the Air Force is said to have ignored efforts to install prepaid meters and implement an automated recovery system that regulates electricity based on payment patterns.
The company also alleged that Air Force officials tampered with infrastructure multiple times and disconnected communications cables and jamming devices.
Violation of Nigerian Law
The tendency to attack on electricity workers is multiple violations of Nigeria’s constitution and criminal law.
The alleged accusations of EKEDC staff of acquiring and harassment violate section 34(1) of the 1999 Constitution, ensuring dignity and prohibiting inhumane treatment.
It also violates Section 35(1) which guarantees individual freedom.
Furthermore, under criminal law, assault, illegal control, and inducement are crimes. The actions of the soldiers are said to have detained staff and tortured them – could be classified as punished and assaulted under Nigerian law.
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The Military Act also prohibits military personnel from engaging in unauthorized civil matters. Attacking power distribution companies via civil matters constitutes abuse of military authorities.
Ask accountability
The executive director of research and advocacy at the Nigerian Association of Electric Power Distributors (ANED) on Sunday, Odontan, condemned both incidents and warned that military attacks on disco were escalating.
“Their claims were poor power supply to the barracks over the past week, despite their commander, Lt. Col. S. Lawan, who was formally notified of Nigeria’s ongoing power transmission company (TCN) upgrade in Agbara,” he said.
IKEDC has refused to restore power to the Air Force Base and claims that the power will remain disconnected until all debts are paid.
Despite multiple attempts, the Nigerian Air Force has not issued an official statement regarding the attack on IKEDC.
Electricity sector workers demand justice
Power sector experts and human rights groups have urged governments to take responsibility for these attacks, warning that continuing immunity could lead to more attacks on civilian agencies.
“These attacks will continue until the authorities take decisive action,” Rasaki said.
