Residents of Judges Estate, Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State capital, on Monday staged a peaceful protest at the headquarters of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over what they described as worsening electricity supply to their community.
The protesters, who barricaded the company’s gate, accused BEDC officials of deliberately disconnecting their estate from the Alagbaka power line—which had previously provided an average of 16 hours of electricity daily—and diverting them to the Oda line, notorious for epileptic supply.
Speaking on behalf of the community, the Chairman of the Landlords Association, Prince Ade Adegboro, alleged that BEDC technicians deceived residents with promises of “24-hour uninterrupted power supply.”
Instead, he said, the new connection to the Oda line has plunged the estate into five consecutive days of blackout.
“At Alagbaka, we enjoyed a minimum of 16 hours of electricity daily. Since BEDC moved us to the Oda line, we have been in total darkness while neighbouring estates remain on stable supply.
Their promise of 24 hours of light has turned into permanent darkness,” Adegboro lamented.
He revealed that several letters of complaint had been sent to BEDC offices in Benin and Lagos, but the company has refused to respond.
During the protest, BEDC officials at the Akure office reportedly declined to address the aggrieved residents or speak to journalists, instead directing them to submit yet another round of formal complaints.
