THE invasion of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (Ikeja DisCo) and assault on its workers by armed men in military uniform on Thursday, March 6, at the company’s headquarters, Lagos State, spin worries on the humongous debts the federal government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) owe the DisCos.

At the Ikeja Electric head office beside the Lagos State Secretariat and opposite the MITV station, armed personnel from the Air Force Base in Ikeja were reported to have stormed the DisCo office at about 7:40am.

According to Ikeja Electric’s head of corporate communications, Kingsley Okotie, the men of the Air Force invaded them over the issue of electricity supply and indebtedness by the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja.

The ICIR can report that ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government have accumulated huge electricity debts over the years.

In a recent conversation, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the federal government owes over N4 trillion in electricity debt. He lamented that the debts could be stifling the electricity companies, majorly owned by private individuals, to perform optimally.

Narrating the Thursday invasion on Ikeja Electric, Okotie, who described the attack as a traumatic experience and the height of impunity, said it has been on record that in the last 10 years, the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base electricity bills have accumulated to over N4 billion, and payment arrangements have been abortive.

“They invaded our premises, beat us up, stole, destroyed, molested, and assaulted us. They held us hostage for hours. I broke my leg in the stampede. This is shameful.

“In my young adult life, I witnessed something I have never seen in my life. Today, the men of the Airforce Ikeja, who are our customers and because of electricity supply and issues of indebtedness, invaded us, beat us up, and carted away our laptops,” he spoke to journalists in a video.

They also destroyed the entire corporate headquarters of our business as well as our Oshodi business unit and other locations around Oshodi, he said.

“We have written severally, and they were disconnected. Rather than resolving it through proper dialogue, they resorted to threats, and this morning, they carried out those threats,” Okotie added.

In a viral video seen by The ICIR, voices were lamenting the beating meted out to their co-workers.

It was reported that one of its correspondents, Dare Olawin, was assaulted during the invasion.

The men in military uniform, led by a woman, seized Ikeja Electric’s headquarters for over an hour, harassed the staff, beat them up, and made them sit on the floor.

The video clip showed the roads leading to the Ikeja Electric head office were blocked as the military men carried out their assault within the premises.

The ICIR reports that the military personnel were at the DisCo’s headquarters to vent their anger over the disconnection of their military base.

They refused to bulge but took the intervention of the Lagos State Police Command.

In some of the viral videos, officials of Ikeja Electric were made to kneel under the sun while its chief executive officer, Folake Soetan, was reportedly locked in the trunk of the car during the raid.

However, stakeholders believe this type of harassment could create investment apathy in the power sector.

FG owes over N4trn electricity debt 

In a recent report by The ICIR, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the federal government owes both the electricity generation companies (GenCos) and DisCos over N4 trillion.

Adelabu revealed this at the public presentation of the National Integrated Electricity Policy (NIEP) and Nigeria Integrated Resource Plan (NIRP) in Abuja on Thursday, February 27.

He noted the government’s indebtedness to the DisCos has surged to N450 billion for electricity subsidy accrued in 2024.

He stressed that the debt would not allow the electricity companies to perform optimally.

He asked, how do you expect them to pay for gas, service, and maintain their turbines and other infrastructure as well as pay their staff amid the N4 trillion federal government debt?

According to him, the government cannot afford to continue to fund the level of subsidy that its consumption pattern is throwing up as it has seen increasing consumption of electricity.

In August 2021, the Nigerian Senate expressed concern over N91.96 billion in outstanding debt owed to Ikeja Electric and EKEDC by MDAs.

In January 2025, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed that MDAs owed over N100 billion in unpaid electricity bills.

Similarly, in September 2024, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) clarified that MDAs owed Eko Electricity Distribution Company N42 billion.

Stakeholders believe that these debts strain the power sector financially, making it difficult for DisCos to meet remittance targets and causing widespread dissatisfaction.

It also makes it difficult for generation companies to get paid for electricity invoices.

In September 2021, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) verified and estimated N93 billion owed by the Armed Forces and other security agencies, The ICIR reported.

This indebtedness continues to be of concern despite the increasing budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Defence, which rose from N1.55 trillion in 2023 to N2.9 trillion this year.

NAF apologies

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reportedly rendered a formal apology to the management and staff of Ikeja Electric over the invasion of the company’s headquarters by troops attached to its Logistics Command in Lagos.

The apology was delivered at a joint press briefing held at Ikeja Electric’s office later on Thursday after the incident.

Rendering the apology, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Adeniran Kolade Ademuwagun, condemned the attack, describing it as “unfortunate.”

“We will investigate what happened and impose appropriate sanctions. The Nigerian Air Force takes the safety of citizens very seriously, and Ikeja Electric should continue providing services without fear of disturbance,” the Air Vice Marshal (AVM) said.

“We must ensure the safety and security of Nigerians, and we do not take that responsibility lightly,” Ademuwagun added.

Commenting, the chairman of Ikeja Electric, Kola Adesina, detailed the impact of the invasion, revealing that at least 10 staff members were brutalised while company assets were vandalised or taken away.

“About 200 staff were on-site when the incident occurred. Reports confirmed that 10 individuals were brutalised, and several office assets were destroyed or removed,” Adesina lamented.

Describing the attack as unwarranted and distressing, he said “It was a terrible experience for our staff, and it disrupted our operations significantly.

“We are grateful that the leadership of the Air Force has responded swiftly, and we believe that justice will be served.”

Adesina noted that the invasion was linked to a long-standing debt dispute between the Nigerian Air Force and Ikeja Electric.

He stated that an agreement had been reached regarding the N4 billion owed to the electricity distribution company.

“As an organisation, we have been owed a significant sum—over N4 billion—which we have struggled to recover. We have been in discussions about this for some time, and while some payments have been made, the process has been slow,” he explained.