Two people who assaulted a female staff of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), a top utility firm that connects Lagos – Nigeria’s commercial capital – to the grid, have been jailed.
A Magistrate court sitting in Agbara Ogun State presided over by B. O. Ilo on Tuesday June 30, 2020, sentenced Adetayo Adefila and Faith Ogunmade to three months imprisonment for assaulting the Field Representative of Eko Electricity Distribution Company while going about her official duties on behalf of the Company.
This was contained in a statement released by Eko Electricity Distribution Company and made available to Platforms Africa.
The Eko Field Representative, Ann Ezuma, was assaulted on February 26, 2020 at the Medina area of Agbara by the defendants who had illegally reconnected their place of residence after being disconnected the previous day on the grounds of failure to pay their electricity bills.
The statement said: “On discovery of the illegal reconnection, our staff insisted to disconnect the electricity consumers for their illegal activity but was ganged up against, assaulted and thrown into a pile of trailer tyres.”
The statement, signed by Godwin Idemudia, the EKEDC Corporate Communications General Manager, stated that the accused were arrested and charged to court on March 2 on a three count charge of conspiracy to commit felony, assault and conduct likely to breach peace.
On June 30, both parties were found guilty and sentenced to three months imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.
In addition, the court fined the defendants N5,000 to be paid to the complainant on each count, adding that they should serve their sentence in Ibara Correctional Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The Eko Electricity Distribution Company’s spokesperson pleaded with customers to desist from untoward illegal activities, noting that the company has a zero-tolerance policy on assault of its staff.
He further stated that the company will always put in place measures to protect staff against external aggression and assaults.
Idemudia urged customers to always seek diplomatic means and engagement in settling grievances.
Customers are encouraged to make use of available conflict resolutions such as the EKEDC website: ekedp.com, 24/7 Customer Complaints Unit line: 07080655555, email: Customercare@ekedp.com and social media platforms: Twitter; @ekedp, Facebook, Eko Electricity, Instagram and ekedpng.
Idemudia reminded customers to continue to stay safe and strictly adhere to all safety and healthy protocols put in place in order to flatten the curve of the global pandemic Coronavirus.
