Sabo-Oke laments victimisation by PHCN workers in Ilorin

Following the lingering crisis between Sabo Oke community in Ilorin Metropolis and some workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), at Kulende Undertaking in Baboko District, culminating in blackout in the community, the residents of the area have accused the management of the company of neglect and victimisation.Speaking when he led some members of the community to Nigerian Tribune office on Murtala Mohammed Way, Ilorin, at the weekend, Mallam Umar Abubakar, said some staff of the PHCN, apparently, carrying out order from their superiors, came to destroy nine electricity transformers in the community, thereby putting the area in total darkness.The people, who said the act was carried out last week Monday between 12 midnight and 2:00 am, added that the suspected PHCN staff indiscriminately cut the transformers' cables and components, with intent to frustrate members of the community. The members of the community said that they had to pacify youth in the area not to beat up the PHCN staff when they came to cut the cables in the last electricity transformer at about 9:00 am last Monday.The Sabo Oke people, who maintained that it was an act of victimisation and intimidation, added that power supply was connected to other extended areas under Sabo Oke power feeder, like Mubo Phase II, Ministry of Agric, Panat, GSS, and JAMB office area.While the people argued that the allegation of non-payment of electricity bill leveled against them was not true, they explained that most of the PHCN customers in the community had been paying their electricity bill to date."We carry mobile public address system around the community to mobilise people to pay up their bills, we also have records of our payment because there is a committee handling that matter for a long time," they said.The leader of the group, who appealed to government to intervene in the matter, also raised the alarm over the re-occurence of insecurity of lives and property in the area as they said happened last year October."Last year when the whole area was thrown into darkness as it is now, hoodlums took advantage of the blackout to unleash terror on the community, carrying out armed robbery attacks, matcheting people for ritual purposes, while many people lost their lives and property. Men of the underworld had also written to some households on impending attack. We appeal to all concerned to assist us towards finding an end to this suffering", they said. The people, who also appealed to leadership of the Christian Association of Nogeria (CAN) in the state to intervene because of presence of many churches in the area, also called on the PHCN zonal manager in Ibadan to intervene as the order to disconnect the people allegedly came from the management.
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