By Ghazali Ibrahim 
Nigerian military personnel have been accused of attacking electricity distribution workers for the second time in recent months.
The latest incident occurred on March 14, 2025, when soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s 15th Field Engineers Regiment stormed the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko Disco) Badagry Injection Substation.
They abducted two staff members, a Distribution System Operator (DSO) and a Proton Security Officer, taking them to their barracks where they were beaten before being released at around 4 a.m.
According to Sunday Oduntan, Managing Director at the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the soldiers’ reason for the attack was poor electricity supply to their barracks over the past week.
However, Oduntan stated that the soldiers’ Commanding Officer, Lt Col S. Lawan, had been informed of the ongoing Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) upgrade in Agbara, which was causing the power supply issues.
This incident follows a similar attack by personnel from the Nigerian Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos, on Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (Ikeja Electric) workers.
The repeated military interference in electricity distribution has raised concerns among industry stakeholders, who are calling for urgent government intervention to prevent further attacks on power sector workers.
