Resistance to alleged IKEDC estimated billingIKEDC lands residents in court, two remanded

Residents of Oko-Oba area of Lagos State’s resistance to alleged estimated billing of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company has landed them in court.

Two residents of the community, Imam Fatai Shaheed and Odewale Jamiu, according to their counsel, Lawrence Irabor, were charged with four counts, “bordering on conducts likely to cause breach of peace, conspiracy to obstruct personnel of the IKEDC to carry out their duty, and assault,” at the Samuel Ilori Court House, Ogba.

The lawyer said the two were granted bail, however, efforts to perfect their bail conditions couldn’t be completed on Tuesday, and they were thus, remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison.

The residents had trooped out, last Wednesday, to protest what they described as indiscriminate disconnection and estimated billing, allegedly by the DisCo, and for the release of the arrested two.

They were also seen outside the court premises on Tuesday, protesting.

The lawyer said, “It was the IKEDC that went to make the report. The matter ought to have been settled amicably but because of their interest, marginalisation and costly bills they’re bringing to the community, and so that anybody will not rise up to challenge them, that is why they’re doing all of that.

“If they’re going for their routine collection, they always go with policemen,” Irabor said, adding that in one of the occasions, the residents were shot at.

“The court granted both of them bail but the perfection of the conditions of the bail was what we couldn’t do, so they took them to Kirikiri.” Lawrence decried the activities of the DisCo.

The residents, who also demonstrated outside the court premises, held placards that bore inscriptions like: ‘IKEDC is scam’, Say no to estimated billing’, and ‘We don’t want IKEDC again’, among others.

A resident, James Joel, argued, “They are trying to suppress us, they said they have money to spend. The whole community has now been put in total darkness for no reason, including those that have prepaid meters”.

The matter has been adjourned till November 15.