Angry Debtor Kills Abuja Electric Official On Disconnection Duty

An employee of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, was on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, stabbed to death in the Kabusa area of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, while one other colleague of the deceased escaped with serious injuries following an attack by assailants.

The AEDC workers were on duty disconnecting the electricity of customers who failed to pay their bills when a man attacked them from behind. The body of the deceased AEDC official has been deposited at the mortuary in Garki Hospital, Area 8, Abuja.

The head of Corporate Communication at AEDC, Oyebode Fadipe, confirmed the attack.

Fadipe said two of their workers were attacked, while one is dead, the other is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital and he is doing well.

He added that the attacks on their staffers had become recurrent and rampant. He mentioned instances where AEDC officials on their duties were attacked in Minna by one Iliya Ayuba, a customs officer, in Kabayi by one Ibrahim Babangida, Lokogoma, Gwagwalada, and even Jukwe. Fadipe said AEDC would pursue this case to the logical conclusion and will no longer take this recurrent attack on its officials lightly.

When asked if their officials get regular training on dealing with the public, he said: “It is unfair to ask this at this time. Our officials are trained regularly in dealing with the public.”

He said the assailant attacked their officials at Kabusa from behind and that they were not even in his house. The assailant has been arrested and is in police custody.

It would be recalled that on January 29, 2020, an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Iliyasu Ayuba, attempted to shoot workers of the Disco with his pistol for cutting electricity supply to his house. Fadipe said the officer, who is believed to be a superintendent in the NCS, attempted to shoot if they failed to restore power to his house, which was disconnected for an outstanding debt of N227,777.06.

Explaining what transpired, Fadipe said, “Ayuba, who wore a brown caftan over a brown easy wear pair of shoes with the pistol held in his right hand could be heard in a recorded video beckoning to the AEDC workers with his left hand and with a commanding tone in Hausa and English to come and reconnect his service wire to the mains.

“Apparently afraid for their lives, the AEDC staff restored supply to Ayuba after which he could be seen clearing his pistol off the bullets, which had been loaded into the chamber to be fired if the AEDC staff had remained adamant.”

Hattip to Guardian