Nigerian Army Rejects Claims of Attacking EKEDC Facilities in Badagry
The Nigerian Army has denied allegations of attacking workers and facilities of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) in Badagry, Lagos.
A statement released by the Army, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations 81 Division, said the allegations made by the Association of Nigeria Electricity Distributors were misleading and failed to present the true picture of what transpired.
He explained that the community in Badagry, including the barrack community, had been experiencing power outages for over a month.
However, power was restored in the early hours of March 14, 2025, but a power surge occurred, triggering a fire incident in the barracks at a facility managed by EKEDC.
He said the soldiers on duty coordinated efforts with EKEDC personnel to contain the situation, and the company’s technical staff were granted access to the barracks to rectify the fault.
While a misunderstanding occurred between a soldier and an EKEDC staff member, it was swiftly and amicably resolved on the spot.
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“The Badagry community where Topo Barracks is located has been grappling with power outage for over one month, despite this challenge, the community in Badagry, including the barrack community, have been managing with the situation in the face of repeated reassurances by the EKEDC. Eventually, the power supply was restored in the early hours of 14 March 2025, at about 12:30 AM.”
“However, following the restoration, a power surge occurred, triggering a fire incident in the barracks at a facility managed by EKEDC. This caused serious panic in the barracks, and in response, the soldiers on duty immediately coordinated efforts with EKEDC personnel to contain the situation. The company’s technical staff were granted access to the barracks at about 1:00 AM to rectify the fault, and they departed around 2:30 AM after successfully addressing the issue.,the statement reads.
The Army emphasized that at no time was the EKEDC substation company in Badagry invaded by any soldier, and neither was any staff of the company abducted or detained in the barracks.
The Commanding Officer of the unit has maintained a longstanding relationship with EKEDC’s leadership in Badagry, which remains unchanged.
To ensure transparency, the Commanding Officer constituted a Board of Inquiry to investigate the incident.
The Army also noted that footage aired by Arise TV was entirely of a different incident, and the troops in the visual footage were not personnel of the NA which has created a misleading narrative that suggests a hostile standoff between the NA and EKEDC.
The service reiterated its commitment to protecting human rights and maintaining cordial relationships with its host communities and stakeholders.
By PRNigeria
