Stop Military Invasion Of Discos – Amnesty International Tells Tinubu

Amnesty International has urged President Bola Tinubu-led government to put a stop to the reoccurring invasion of electricity distribution companies by military men.

Naija News reported that staff of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), both in Lagos State, were beaten by suspected military men due to power issues in their barracks.

In a statement on Monday, Amnesty International decried the EKEDC invasion that happened just weeks after IKEDC staff were also invaded and beaten by military personnel.

It stressed that Nigeria’s military recklessness continued to happen because the government failed to hold them to account for their atrocities.

It read: The Nigerian authorities must give a clear directive to the military to stop invading and torturing electricity workers for just doing their job. The Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) reported that the military invaded its substation and abducted two staff members.

“Witnesses told Amnesty International that soldiers forcibly took a Distribution System Operator (DSO) and a Proton Security Officer of the electricity company to their barracks, where they were beaten and subjected to torture for hours.

“This is coming weeks after soldiers launched a violent attack on Ikeja Electricity Distribution company workers. The soldiers beat up the workers, took some of them at gunpoint to their barracks where they subjected them to torture and other degrading treatment.

“The Nigerian military’s recklessness is a result of the authorities’ consistent failure to hold them to account for a long list of atrocities. The Nigerian authorities must promptly set up an independent inquiry to ensure justice for the victims of this impunity.”