Residents, businesses, diplomatic missions and government institutions in Abuja’s Maitama district have been thrown into darkness after the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company AEDC said it was forced to shut down operations at its C2 Maitama Substation following what it described as an unlawful invasion and encroachment by suspected land grabbers.
In a statement, the electricity distribution company alleged that the encroachment was led by an Assistant Director of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Mr. Chinedu Okoro, resulting in extensive damage to critical power infrastructure.
According to AEDC, the C2 Maitama Substation is a key electricity distribution facility supplying power to homes, commercial establishments, diplomatic missions and government institutions within Maitama and adjoining areas.
The company said the invasion led to the destruction of vital electricity cables and other network equipment, making it unsafe and technically impossible to continue electricity supply from the substation.
AEDC disclosed that it has petitioned the relevant authorities over the incident, insisting that both the substation and the land on which it is located legally belong to the company.
The distribution company called for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged encroachment and urged authorities to take appropriate action against those responsible in accordance with the law.
Condemning the incident, AEDC described the encroachment on critical national infrastructure as unacceptable, warning that such actions disrupt electricity supply, hamper economic activities and undermine the public interest.The company apologised to customers affected by the outage and assured them that efforts to restore electricity would begin immediately after the facility is secured and the damaged infrastructure is rebuilt.
It also appealed for the understanding and cooperation of residents as it works with relevant authorities to resolve the situation and restore normal electricity supply.
