Electricity workers threaten shutdown over attack on member in Rivers

Faith Kordoo

The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies has threatened to shut down power supply in the entire Etche Local Government of Rivers State, over the brutal attack on its member, Gboro Benjamin, by some residents of the area.

The Deputy General Secretary, SSAEAC, South East and South South, Innocent Lord-Douglas, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Saturday.

Douglas said Benjamin, a staff of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company and the Occupational Health and Safety Officer of the Association in PHED Beta II Area was attacked by electricity consumers while on official duty to check prepaid meters bypass at Diamond Estate, along Shell Location Road in Umuebule IV, Etche.

He explained that the incident occurred at the residence of a PHED customer with meter number 0124000344273.

Douglas said, “Due to the rampant cases of prepaid meter bypass customers in the system, our members do go about on meters’ checking.

“Besides, these meters are not personal property of customers but properties of the Discos. So Benjamin asked for access to check Nnabuike George’s meter, which is reportedly being shared with a bar in the area.

“They introduced themselves to the woman and wanted to check their meter.

“The woman offered him a stool to stand on to check the meter, while the process was going on, of course, to know if the meter was bypassed or not, he tapped on the code to check for bypass and told the woman that some lights were still on.”

The Deputy General noted that the woman got angry and pushed him down from the stool he was standing on while shouting at her son.

“The son came. They are sharing the apartment or store with a beer bar and hoodlums came out of that place.”

“The son picked up a club and hit his eye, I think his left eye and the hoodlums started beating him. He wasn’t there alone, but other of his colleagues were in different shops or apartments doing the same thing(sic).

“So, when noise started rising, they came out and saw that that was happening, they went to protect their members and all of them were beating at one stage or the other, including a lady that went with them, ” he added.

Douglas said on getting wind of the incident, he informed some PHED officials to get the Police to arrest the culprits.

According to him, “By the time the Chief Security Officer of PHED got to Oyigbo Police Station, the wife of the man had already incidented the case.

“On inquiry, the man who claimed to be the Divisional Police Officer wasn’t the DPO, he was the Investigating Police Officer, one INNOCENT OGBEKILE, whom we learnt is a friend to the woman.

“He threatened our people with mob attacks from area boys of the area if we took off the supply from the area and even threatened to beat up the CSO of PHED”.

He also noted that the SSAEAC has issued a four-day ultimatum for the woman to be arrested or PHED Beta II will shut out the electricity supply from Etche local government area.

Douglas further said, “As a union, we have given an ultimatum to PHED, if that woman is not arrested between yesterday and Monday (four days), we are going to shut down supply in all Etche local government, because nobody beats our member that went to do his legitimate job and the community will be enjoying supply.

“If we shut down the local government and nothing is happening, we are going to know what is going to happen between the union and PHED and we may even continue to shut down the supply in Rivers State”.

Douglas vowed that unprovoked attacks on members doing their legitimate work will be resisted and the association will leave no stone unturned until justice is seen to have been done to all.