Residents of the Mafoluku, Isolo, and Oshodi areas in Lagos State have filed a lawsuit against the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) over issues related to alleged estimated billing and frequent blackouts in their communities.
The suit, dated July 13, was filed at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi. The residents seek an injunction preventing IKEDC from disconnecting their electricity without proving in court that the residents owe outstanding payments.
According to a circular distributed across the communities, which was seen by NEWS REVIEW on Sunday, the residents are demanding that the electricity company obtain a court order to validate their claims before carrying out any disconnections.
The plaintiffs listed in the court documents include Lawal Ekundayo, Ahmed Olayiwola, Olufemi Dasaolu, and Chigozie Ike. Speaking about the issue, Ekundayo stated that the bills they were being charged did not accurately reflect their actual electricity consumption.
He added that some residents were allegedly placed on Band A electricity, which promises higher hours of supply, without their consent. “What we are challenging is the injustice of estimated billing by Ikeja Electric, where we are charged for more than what we actually consume. This is why we have taken legal action to prevent them from disconnecting our electricity.
If they claim we owe them, they should prove it in court before disconnecting our supply,” Ekundayo said. He further noted that despite filing the lawsuit in July, IKEDC responded by asserting that they do not need a court order to disconnect services. According to him, residents face severe billing, such as being charged N1.5 million in a month, while the company has not provided consistent electricity, citing ongoing maintenance as the reason for the blackouts.
Ekundayo also highlighted discrepancies in service, stating that while some residents were on Band C (guaranteeing at least 12 hours of electricity daily), others with prepaid meters were put on Band A (up to 20 hours daily) without their agreement. “Sometimes, those on Band C receive less than two hours of electricity or none at all, yet they are still billed. This situation has driven some people to bypass prepaid meters, as the company can control the supply remotely,” he explained.
Ahmed Olayiwola, another plaintiff, said the case is set for a hearing in November, and the circular was intended to raise awareness of the ongoing legal action.
He emphasized that this is not the first time the communities have taken legal steps against IKEDC. “We had previously sued them in the Lagos High Court last year over the same issue.
They maneuvered a settlement out of court by providing free prepaid meters to silence us. But once the case was dropped, they resumed their old practices,” Olayiwola added.
The spokesperson for IKEDC, Kingsley Okotie, was unavailable for comment as calls to his phone went unanswered, and a text message sent to him had not been responded to at the time this report was filed.
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