6th February, 2014
The quest to quash the activities of impostors who extort money from members of the public under the guise of being staff of the Ikeja Distribution Company (IKEDC) has received a boost with the arraignment of two persons (Isaac Eribadu and Sunday Olaleke) nabbed by the police last week in Ojodu BU/Undertaking for impersonating IKEDC Staff and illegally disconnecting/extorting customers for non-payment of bills.
They were arraigned before the Ikosi Magistrate Court and they pleaded not guilty to charges of Impersonation. They were each granted bail in the sum of N100,000 and level 8 civil servant as sureties.
In the interim, they have been remanded to prison custody pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
The case was adjourned till 5 March 2014 for trial.
Speaking on the development, Pekun Adeyanju, Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, IKEDC said the case will serve as a deterrent to persons who have been impersonating IKEDC staff as well as vandalising the company’s equipment and installations.
Adeyanju said IKEDC had continued to sensitise members of the public on the activities of impostors, adding that the Disco is partnering with relevant authorities to ensure that the issue of vandalism, sabotage and theft is addressed.
“We will stop at nothing to ensure that defaulters are duly prosecuted,” he stressed.
He said members of the public need to know that no one including current and past PHCN or IKEDC staff is authorised to make monetary or other demands from customers in return for reconnection or allocation of pre-paid meters.
“We urge members of the public to rebuff these impostors and report such cases via email to: [email protected] or the nearest IKEDC office and we will follow up such cases to conclusion.”
Adeyanju stated that IKEDC remained solely responsible for the supply, repair and replacement of its equipment and installations.
“We have since commenced customer education campaigns aimed at creating awareness of ongoing efforts to improve service delivery and encouraging customer involvement in ensuring the success of the power reforms,” he added.